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THE   CORAL    ISLAND: 


A  TALE  OF  THE  PACIFIC  OCEAN. 


BY 

ROBERT    MICHAEL    BALLANTYXE. 

author  of  ';  hudson's  bat;  or,  evert-dat  life  in  the  wttds  of  north 

america;"  "snow-flakes  and  sun-beams;  or,  the  young  fur 

traders:"  "ungava;  a  tale  of  the 

esquimaux,"  &c.  &c. 


WITH    ILLUSTRATIONS    BY    THE    AUTHOR. 


BOSTON: 

SON 
1859. 


PHILLIPS,    SAMPSON    AND    COMPANY. 


RIVERSIDE,    CAMBRIDGE: 
PRINTED  BT  H.   0.   HOUGHTON  AND   COMPANY. 


PREFACE. 


WAS  a  boy  when  I  went  through  the  won- 
■*■  derful  adventures  herein  set  down.  "With 
the  memory  of  my  boyish  feelings  strong  upon 
me,  I  present  my  book  specially  to  boys,  in  the 
earnest  hope  that  they  may  derive  valuable 
information,  much  pleasure,  great  profit,  and 
unbounded  amusement  from  its  pages. 

One  word  more.  If  there  is  any  boy  or  man 
who  loves  to  be  melancholy  and  morose,  and 
who  cannot  enter  with  kindly  sympathy  into 
the  regions  of  fun,  let  me  seriously  advise  him 
to  shut  my  book  and  put  it  away.  It  is  not 
meant  for  him. 

RALPH   ROVER. 

Edinburgh,  1857. 


CONTENTS. 


Pa.e 
CHAPTER  I. 
The  beginning — My  early  life  and  character  —  I  thirst  for  adven- 
ture in  foreign  lands  and  go  to  sea, 

CHAPTER  IT. 
The  departure  —  The  sea  —  My  companions  —  Some  account  of 
the  wonderful  sights  we  saw  on  the  great  deep  —  A  dreadful 
storm  and  a  frightful  wreck, 14 

CHAPTER  III. 
The  Coral  Island  —  Our  first  cogitations  after  landing,  and  the  re- 
sult of  them  —  We  conclude  that  the  island  is  uninhabited,        .     20 

CHAPTER  IV. 
We  examine  into  our  personal  property,  and  make  a  happy  dis- 
covery —  Our  island  described  —  Jack  proves   himself  to  be 
leai-ned  and  sagacious  above  his  fellows —  Curious  discoveries 

—  Natural  lemonade ! 26 

CHAPTER   V. 

Morning,  and  cogitations  connected  therewith  —  We  luxuriate  in 
the  sea,  try  our  diving  powers,  and  make  enchanting  excursions 
among  the  coral  groves  at  the  bottom  of  the  ocean  —  The  won- 
ders of  the  deep  enlarged  upon, 

CHAPTER  VI. 

An  excursion  into  the  intex-ior,  in  which  we  make  many  valuable 
and  interesting  discoveries — We  get  a  dreadful  fright — The 
bread-fruit  tree  —  Wonderful  peculiarity  of  some  of  the  fruit- 
trees —  Signs  of  former  inhabitants, 46 

CHAPTER   VII. 

Jack's  ingenuity —  We  get  into  difficulties  about  fishing,  and  get 
out  of  them  by  a  method  which  gives  us  a  cold  bath  —  Horrible 
encounter  with  a  shark, 57 

CHAPTER   VIII. 
The  beauties  of  the  bottom  of  the  sea  tempt  Peterkin  to  dive  — 
Hew  he  did  it  —  More  difficulties  overcome  —  The  water  garden 

—  Curious  creatures  of  the  sea  —  The  tank  —  Candles  o 


vi  CONTENTS. 

Page 
very  much,  and   the  candle-nut  tree  discovered  —  Wonderful 
account  of  Peterkin's  first  voyage  —  Cloth  found  growing  on 
a  tree  —  A  plan  projected,  and  arms  prepared  for  offence  and 
defence  —  A  dreadful  cry, 65 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Prepare  for  a  journey  round  the  island  —  Sagacious  reflections  — 
Mysterious  appearances  and  startling  occurrences,    .        .        .82 

CHAPTER  X. 

Make  discovery  of  many  excellent  roots  and  fruits  —  The  re- 
sources of  the  Coral  Island  gradually  unfolded  —  The  banian- 
tree —  Another  tree  which  is  supported  by  natural  planks  — 
Water-fowl  found  —  A  very  remarkable  discovery,  and  a  very 
peculiar  murder  —  We  luxuriate  on  the  fat  of  the  land,      .        .     90 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Effects  of  over-eating,  and  reflections  thereon  —  Humble  .advice 
regarding  cold  water  —  The  "horrible  cry  "  accounted  for  — 
The  curious  birds  called  penguins  —  Peculiarity  of  the  cocoa- 
nut  palm —  Questions  on  the  formation  of  coral  islands  —  Mys- 
terious footsteps  —  Strange  discoveries  and  sad  sights,       .        .  100 

CHAPTER   XII. 

Something  wrong  with  the  tank  —  Jack's  wisdom  and  Peterkin's 
impertinence  —  Wonderful  behavior  of  a  crab  —  Good  wishes 
for  those  who  dwell  far  from  the  sea  —  Jack  commences  to  build 
a  little  boat, 113 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Notable  discovery  at  the  spouting  cliffs  —  The  mysterious  green 
monster  explained  —  We  are  thrown  into  unutterable  terror  by 
the  idea  that  Jack  is  drowned  —  The  Diamond  Cave,        .        .  120 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

Strange  peculiarity  of  the  tides  —  Also  of  the  twilight  —  Peter- 
kin's remarkable  conduct  in  embracing  a  little  pig  and  killing  a 
big  sow  —  Sage  remarks  on  jesting  —  Also  on  love,  .        .        .  131 

CHAPTER    XV. 

Boat-building  extraordinary  —  Peterkin  tries  his  hand  at  cookery 
and  fails  most  signally  —  The  boat  finished  —  Curious  con- 
versation with  the  cat,  and  other  matters, 138 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
The  boat  launched  —  We  visit  the  coral  reef —  The  great  breaker 
that  never  goes  down  —  Coral  insects  —  The  way  in  which  coral 


CONTENTS.  vn 

Page 

islands  are  made  —  The  boat'>  sail  —  We  tax  our  ingenuity  to 
form  fish-hooks  —  Some  of  the  fisb  we  saw  —  And  a  monstrous 
whale  —  Wonderful  shower  of  little  fish  —Water-spouts,  .        .  147 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

A  monster  wave  and  its  consequences  —  The  boat  lost  and  found 
—  Peterkin's  terrible  accident  —  Supplies  of  food  for  a  voyage 
in  the  boat  —  We  visit  Penguin  Island,  and  are  amazed  beyond 
measure  —  Account  of  the  penguins, 156 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 
An  awful  storm  and  its  consequences  —  Narrow  escape  —  A  rock 
proves  a  sure  foundation  —  A  fearful  night  and  a  bright  morn- 
ing—  Deliverance  from  danger, 170 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

Shoemaking  —  The  even  tenor  of  our  way  suddenly  interrupted  — 
An  unexpected  visit  and  an  appalling  battle  —  We  all  become 
warriors,  and  Jack  proves  himself  to  be  a  hero,         .        .        .177 

CHAPTER   XX. 
Intercourse  with  the  savages  —  Cannibalism  prevented  —  The 
slain  are  buried  and  the  survivors  depart,  leaving  us  again  alone 
on  our  Coral  Island, 189 

CHAPTER    XXI. 
SagacioiTS  and  moral  remarks  in  regard  to  life  —  A  sail !  —  An 
unexpected  salute  —  The  end  of  the  black  cat  —  A  terrible  dive 
— an  incautious  proceeding  and  a  frightful  catastrophe,     .        .  196 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
I  fall  into   the  hands  of  pirates  —  How  they  treated  me,    and 
what  I  said  to  them  —  The  result  of  the  whole  ending  iu  a 
melancholy  separation  and  in  a  most  unexpected  gift,        .        .  205 

CHAPTER   XXIII. 
Bloody  Bill  —  Dark  surmises  —  A  strange  sail,  and  a  strange  crew, 
and  a  still  stranger  cargo  —  New  reasons  for  favoring  mission- 
aries —  A  murderous  massacre,  and  thoughts  thereon,       .        .  216 

CHAPTER   XXIV. 

Bloody  Bill  is  communicative  and  sagacious  —  Unpleasant  pro- 
spects —  Retrospective  meditations  interrupted  by  volcanic 
agency  —  The  pirates  negotiate  with  a  Eeejee  chief —  Various 
etceteras  that  are  calculated  to  surprise  and  horrify,  .        .  227 

CHAPTER   XXV. 
The    sandal-wood  party  —  Native   children's  games,  somewhat 


viii  CONTENTS. 

Page 
surprising  —  Desperate    amusements   suddenly    and    fatally 
brought  to  a  close  —  An  old  friend  recognized  —  News  —  Ro- 
mata's  mad  conduct, 242 

CHAPTER  XXVL 

Mischief  brewing  —  My  blood  is  made  to  ran  cold  —  Evil  consul- 
tations and  wicked  resolves  —  Bloody  Bill  attempts  to  do  good 
and  fails  —  The  attack  —  Wholsale  murder  —  The  flight  — 
The  escape, 253 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Reflections  —  The  wounded  man —  The  squall  —  True  consolation 

—  Death, 264 

CHAPTER    XXVIH. 

Alone  on  the  deep  —  Necessity  the  mother  of  invention  —  A  valu- 
able book  discovered  —  Natural  phenomenon  —  A  bright  day 
in  my  history, 274 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
The  effect  of  a  cannon-shot — A  happy  reunion  of  a  somewhat 
moist  nature  —  Retrospects  and  explanations  —  An  awful  dive 

—  New  plans  —  The  last  of  the  Coral  Island,      ....  279 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

The  voyage  —  The  island,  and  consultation  in  which  danger  is 
scouted  as  a  thing  unworthy  of  consideration  —  Rats  and  cats  — 
The  native  teacher  —  Awful  revelations  —  Wonderful  effects 
of  Christianity, 2j1 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

A  strange  and  bloody  battle  —  The  lion  bearded  in  his  den  — 
Frightful  scenes  of  cruelty,  and  fears  for  the  future,  .        .        .  308 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 
An  unexpected  discovery,  and  a  bold,  reckless  defiance,  with  its 
consequences  —  Plans  of  escape,  and  heroic  resolves,        .        .  317 

CHAPTER  XXXm. 

The  flight  —  The  pursuit  —  Despair  and  its  results  —  The  lion 
bearded  in  his  den  again  —  Awful  danger  threatened  and  won- 
derfully averted  —  A  terrific  storm, 325 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
Imprisonment  —  Sinking  hopes  —  Unexpected  freedom  to  more 
than  one,  and  in  more  senses  than  one, 337 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 
Conclusion, 344 


THE    COEAL    ISLAND 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE  BEGINNING  —  MY    EARLY  LIFE   AND    CHARACTER  —  I    TTTTRST 
FOB    ABVENTURE    IN    FOREIGN    LANDS    AND  GO    TO    SLA. 

1T>  OVING  has  always  been,  and  still  is,  my  ruling 
-1A>  passion,  the  joy  of  my  heart,  the  very  sunshine  of 
my  existence.  In  childhood,  in  boyhood,  and  in  man's 
estate,  I  have  been  a  rover  ;  not  a  mere  rambler  among 
the  woody  glens  and  upon  the  hill-tops  of  my  own  native 
land,  but  an  enthusiastic  rover  throughout  the  length 
and  breadth  of  the  wide  wide  world. 

It  was  a  wild,  black  night  of  howling  storm,  the  night 
in  which  I  was  born  on  the  foaming  bosom  of  the  broad 
Atlantic  Ocean.  My  father  was  a  sea-captain;  my 
grandfather  was  a  sea-captain;  my  great-grandfather 
had  been  a  marine.  Nobody  could  tell  positively  what 
occupation  his  father  had  followed  ;  but  my  dear  mother 
used  to  assert  that  he  had  been  a  midshipman,  whose 
grandfather  on  the  mother's  side  had  been  an  admiral  in 
the  royal  navy.     At  any  rate  we  knew  that,  as  far  back 


10  THE    CORAL    ISLAND. 

as  our  family  could  be  traced,  it  had  been  intimately  con- 
nected with  the  great  watery  waste.  Indeed  this  was  the 
case  on  both  sides  of  the  house ;  for  my  mother  always 
went  to  sea  with  my  father  on  his  long  voyages,  and  so 
spent  the  greater  part  of  her  life  upon  the  water. 

Thus  it  was,  I  suppose,  that  I  came  to  inherit  a  roving 
disposition.  Soon  after  I  was  born,  my  father,  being  old, 
retired  from  a  seafaring  life,  purchased  a  small  cottage 
in  a  fishing  village  on  the  west  coast  of  England,  and  set- 
tled down  to  spend  the  evening  of  his  life  on  the  shores 
of  that  sea  which  had  for  so  many  years  been  his  home. 
It  was  not  long  after  this  that  I  began  to  show  the  rov- 
ing spirit  that  dwelt  within  me.  For  some  time  past 
my  infant  legs  had  been  gaining  strength,  so  that  I  came 
to  be  dissatisfied  with  rubbing  the  skin  off  my  chubby 
knees  by  walking  on  them,  and  made  many  attempts  to 
stand  up  and  walk  like  a  man  ;  all  of  which  attempts, 
however,  resulted  in  my  sitting  down  violently  and  in 
sudden  surprise.  One  day  I  took  advantage  of  my  dear 
mother's  absence  to  make  another  effort ;  and,  to  my  joy, 
I  actually  succeeded  in  reaching  the  door-step,  over 
which  I  tumbled  into  a  pool  of  muddy  water  that  lay 
before  my  father's  cottage  door.  Ah,  how  vividly  I  re- 
member the  horror  of  my  poor  mother  when  she  found 
me  sweltering  in  the  mud  amongst  a  group  of  cackling 
ducks,  and  the  tenderness  with  which  she  stripped  off  my 
dripping  clothes  and  washed  my  dirty  little  body !  From 
this  time  forth  my  rambles  became  more  frequent,  and, 
as  I  grew  older,  more  distant,  until  at  last  I  had  wan- 
dered far  and  near  on  the  shore  and  in  the  woods  around 
our  humble  dwelling,  and  did  not  rest  content  until  my 
father  bound  me  apprentice  to  a  coasting  vessel,  and  let 
me  go  to  sea. 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  11 

For  some  years  I  was  happy  in  visiting  the  seaports, 
and  in  coasting  along  the  shores  of  my  native  land.  My 
Christian  name  was  Ralph,  and  my  comrades  added  to 
this  the  name  of  Rover,  in  consequence  of  the  passion 
which  I  always  evinced  for  travelling.  Rover  was  not 
my  real  name,  but  as  I  never  received  any  other  I  came 
at  last  to  answer  to  it  as  naturally  as  to  my  proper  name  ; 
and,  as  it  is  not  a  bad  one,  I  see  no  good  reason  why  I 
should  not  introduce  myself  to  the  reader  as  Ralph 
Rover.  My  shipmates  were  kind,  good-natured  fellows, 
and  they  and  I  got  on  very  well  together.  They  did,  in- 
deed, very  frequently  make  game  of  and  banter  me,  but 
not  unkindly;  and  I  overheard  them  sometimes  saying 
that  Ralph  Rover  Was  a  "  queer,  old-fashioned  fellow." 
This.  I  must  confess,  surprised  me  much,  and  I  pondered 
the  saying  long,  but  could  come  at  no  satisfactory  conclu- 
sion as  to  that  wherein  my  old-fashionedness  lay.  It  is 
true  I  was  a  quiet  lad,  and  seldom  spoke  except  when 
spoken  to.  Moreover,  I  never  could  understand  the 
jokes  of  my  companions  even  when  they  were  explained 
to  me ;  which  dulness  in  apprehension  occasioned  me 
much  grief;  however,  I  tried  to  make  up  for  it  by  smil- 
ing and  looking  pleased  when  I  observed  that  they  were 
laughing  at  some  witticism  which  I  had  failed  to  detect, 
I  was  also  very  fond  of  inquiring  into  the  nature  of  things, 
and  their  causes,  and  often  fell  into  fits  of  abstraction 
while  thus  engaged  in  my  mind.  But  in  all  this  I  saw 
nothing  that  did  not  seem  to  be  exceedingly  natural,  and 
could  by  no  means  understand  why  my  comrades  should 
call  me  "  an  old-fashioned  fellow." 

Now,  while  engaged  in  the  coasting  trade,  I  fell  in  with 
many  seamen  who  had  travelled  to  almost  every  quarter 
of  the  globe ;  and  I  freely  confess  that  my  heart  glowed 


12  THE   COKAL  ISLAND. 

ardently  within  me  as  they  recounted  their  wild  advent- 
ures in  foreign  lands,  —  the  dreadful  storms  they  had 
weathered,  the  appalling  dangers  they  had  escaped,  the 
wonderful  creatures  they  had  seen  both  on  the  land  and 
in  the  sea,  and  the  interesting  lands  and  strange  people 
.  they  had  visited.  But  of  all  the  places  of  which  they 
told  me,  none  captivated  and  charmed  my  imagination  so 
much  as  the  Coral  Islands  of  the  Southern  Seas.  They 
told  me  of  thousands  of  beautiful  fertile  islands  that  had 
been  formed  by  a  small  creature  called  the  coral  insect, 
where  summer  reigned  nearly  all  the  year  round,  — where 
the  trees  were  laden  with  a  constant  harvest  of  luxuriant 
fruit,  —  where  the  climate  was  almost  perpetually  delight- 
ful5  —  yet  where,  strange  to  say,  men  were  wild,  blood- 
thirsty savages,  excepting  in  those  favored  isles  to  which 
the  gospel  of  our  Saviour  had  been  conveyed.  These 
exciting  accounts  had  so  great  an  effect  upon  my  mind, 
that  when  I  reached  the  age  of  fifteen,  I  resolved  to 
make  a  voyage  to  the  South  Seas. 

I  had  no  little  difficulty  at  first  in  prevailing  on  my 
dear  parents  to  let  me  go ;  but  when  I  urged  on  my 
father  that  he  would  never  have  become  a  great  captain 
had  he  remained  in  the  coasting  trade,  he  saw  the  truth 
of  what  I  said,  and  gave  his  consent.  My  dear  mother, 
seeing  that  my  father  had  made  up  his  mmd,  no  longer 
offered  opposition  to  my  wishes.  "  But  oh,  Ralph,"  she 
said,  on  the  day  I  bade  her  adieu,  "  come  back  soon  to 
us,  my  dear  boy,  for  we  are  getting  old  now,  Ralph,  and 
may  not  have  many  years  to  live." 

I  will  not  take  up  my  reader's  time  with  a  minute  ac- 
count of  all  that  occurred  before  I  took  my  final  leave  of 
my  dear  parents.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  my  father  placed 
me  under  the  charge  of  an  old  messmate  of  his  own,  a 


THE    CORAL  ISLAND.  ID 

merchant  captain,  who  was  on  the  point  of  sailing  to  the 
South  Seas  in  his  own  ship,  the  Arrow.  My  mother 
gave  me  her  blessing  and  a  small  Bible  ;  and  her  Last  re- 
quest was,  that  I  would  never  forget  to  read  a  chapter 
every  day,  and  say  my  prayers ;  which  I  promised,  with 
tears  in  my  eyes,  that  I  would  certainly  do. 

Soon  afterwards  I  went  on  board  the  Arrow,  which 
was  a  fine  large  ship,  and  set  sail  for  the  islands  of  the 
Pacific  Ocean. 


14  THE   COEAL  ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  DEPARTURE  —  THE  SEA  —  MY  COMPANIONS  —  SOME  ACCOUNT  OF 
THE  WONDERFUL  SIGHTS  WE  SAW  ON  THE  GREAT  DEEP  — A 
DREADFUL  STORM  AND  A  FRIGHTFUL  WRECK. 

IT  was  a  bright,  beautiful,  warm  day  when  our  ship 
spread  her  canvas  to  the  breeze,  and  sailed  for  the 
regions  of  the  south.  Oh,  how  my  heart  bounded  with 
delight  as  I  listened  to  the  merry  chorus  of  the  sailors, 
while  they  hauled  at  the  ropes  and  got  in  the  anchor ! 
The  captain  shouted  —  the  men  ran  to  obey  —  the  noble 
ship  bent  over  to  the  breeze,  and  the  shore  gradually 
faded  from  my  view,  while  I  stood  looking  on  with  a 
kind  of  feeling  that  the  whole  was  a  delightful  dream. 

The  first  thing  that  struck  me  as  being  different  from 
anything  I  had  yet  seen  during  my  short  career  on  the 
sea,  was  the  hoisting  of  the  anchor  on  deck,  and  lashing 
it  firmly  down  with  ropes,  as  if  we  had  now  bid  adieu 
to  the  land  forever,  and  would  require  its  services  no 
more. 

"  There,  lass,"  cried  a  broad-shouldered  jack-tar,  giv- 
ing the  fluke  of  the  anchor  a  hearty  slap  with  his  hand 
after  the  housing  was  completed  —  "  there,  lass,  take  a 
good  nap  now,  for  we  shan't  ask  you  to  kiss  the  mud 
again  for  many  a  long  day  to  come  ! " 

And  so  it  was.  That  anchor  did  not  "  kiss  the  mud  " 
for  many  long  days  afterwards ;  and  when  at  last  it  did, 
it  was  for  the  last  time ! 

There  were  a  number  of  boys  in  the  ship,  but  two  ot 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  15 

them  were  my  special  favorites.  Jack  Martin  waa  a 
tall,  strapping,  broad-shouldered  youth  of  eighteen,  with 
a  handsome,  good-humored,  firm  face.  He  had  had  a 
good  education,  was  clever  and  hearty  and  lion-like  In 
his  actions,  but  mild  and  quiet  in  disposition.  Jack  was 
a  general  favorite,  and  had  a  peculiar  fondness  for  me. 
My  other  companion  was  Peterkin  Gay.  He  was  little, 
quick,  funny,  decidedly  mischievous,  and  about  fourteen 
years  old.  But  Peterkin's  mischief  was  almo.-t  always 
harmless,  else  he  could  not  have  been  so  much  beloved 
as  he  was. 

"  Hallo !  youngster,"  cried  Jack  Martin,  giving  me  a 
slap  on  the  shoulder,  the  day  I  joined  the  ship,  "  come 
below  and  I'll  show  you  your  berth.  You  and  I  are  to 
be  messmates,  and  I  think  we  shall  be  good  friends,  for 
I  like  the  look  o'  you." 

Jack  was  right.  He  and  I  and  Peterkin  afterwards 
became  the  best  and  stanchest  friends  that  ever  tossed 
together  on  the  stormy  waves. 

I  shall  say  little  about  the  first  part  of  our  voyage. 
"We  had  the  usual  amount  of  rough  weather  and  calm  ; 
also  we  saw  many  strange  fish  rolling  in  the  sea,  and  I 
was  greatly  delighted  one  day  by  seeing  a  shoal  of  flying- 
fish  dart  out  of  the  water  and  skim  through  the  air  about 
a  foot  above  the  surface.  They  were  pursued  by  dol- 
phins, which  feed  on  them,  and  one  flying-fish  in  its 
terror  flew  over  the  ship,  struck  on  the  rigging,  and  fell 
upon  the  deck.  Its  wings  were  just  fins  elongated,  and 
we  found  that  they  could  never  fly  far  at  a  time,  and 
never  mounted  into  the  air  like  birds,  but  skimmed  along 
the  surface  of  the  sea.  Jack  and  I  had  it  for  dinner,  and 
found  it  remarkably  good. 

When  we  approached  Cape  Horn,  at  the  southern  ex- 


16  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

tremity  of  America,  the  weather  became  very  cold  and 
stormy,  and  the  sailors  began  to  tell  stories  about  the 
furious  gales  and  the  dangers  of  that  terrible  cape. 

"  Cape  Horn,"  said  one,  "  is  the  most  horrible  head- 
land I  ever  doubled.  I've  sailed  round  it  twice  already, 
and  both  times  the  ship  was  a'most  blow'd  out  o'  the 
water." 

"An'  I've  been  round  it  once,"  said  another,  "  an'  that 
time  the  sails  were  split,  and  the  ropes  frozen  in  the 
blocks,  so  that  they  wouldn't  work,  and  we  wos  all  but 
lost." 

"An'  I've  been  round  it  five  times,"  cried  a  third,  "  an' 
every  time  wos  wuss  than  another,  the  gales  wos  so  tree- 
in  en  dous  !  " 

"And  I've  been  round  it  no  times  at  all,"  cried  Peter- 
kin,  with  an  impudent  wink  of  his  eye,  "  an'  that  time  I 
wos  blow'd  inside  out !  " 

Nevertheless,  we  passed  the  dreaded  cape  without 
much  rough  weather,  and,  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks 
afterwards,  were  sailing  gently,  before  a  warm  tropical 
breeze,  over  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Thus  we  proceeded  on 
our  voyage,  sometimes  bounding  merrily  before  a  fair 
breeze,  at  other  times  floating  calmly  on  the  glassy  wave 
and  fishing  for  the  curious  inhabitants  of  the  deep,  —  all 
of  which,  although  the  sailors  thought  little  of  them, 
were  strange,  and  interesting,  and  very  wonderful  to  me. 

At  last  we  came  among  the  Coral  Islands  of  the  Pa- 
cific, and  I  shall  never  forget  the  delight  with  which  I 
gazed, —  when  we  chanced  to  pass  one,  —  at  the  pure, 
white,  dazzling  shores,  and  the  verdant  palm-trees,  which 
looked  bright  and  beautiful  in  the  sunshine.  And  often 
did  we  three  long  to  be  landed  on  one,  imagining  that  we 
should  certainly  find  perfect  happiness  there  !  Our  wish 
was  granted  sooner  than  we  expected. 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  17 

One  night,  soon  after  we  entered  the  tropics,  an  awful 
storm  burst  upon  our  ship.  The  first  squall  of  wind 
carried  away  two  of  our  masts  ;  and  left  only  the  fore^ 
mast  standing.  Even  this,  however,  was  more  than 
enough,  for  we  did  not  dare  to  hoist  a  rag  of  sail  on  it. 
For  five  days  the  tempest  raged  in  all  its  fury.  Every- 
thing was  swept  off  the  decks  except  one  small  boat. 
The  steersman  was  lashed  to  the  wheel,  lest  he  should  be 
washed  away,  and  we  all  gave  ourselves  up  for  lost. 
The  captain  said  that  he  had  no  idea  where  we  were,  as 
we  had  been  blown  far  out  of  our  course  ;  and  we  feared 
much  that  we  might  get  among  the  dangerous  coral  reefs 
which  are  so  numerous  in  the  Pacific.  At  daybreak  on 
the  sixth  morning  of  the  gale  we  saw  land  ahead.  It 
was  an  island  encircled  by  a  reef  of  coral  on  which  the 
waves  broke  in  fury.  There  was  calm  water  within  this 
reef,  but  we  could  only  see  one  narrow  opening  into  it. 
For  this  opening  we  steered,  but,  ere  we  reached  it,  a 
tremendous  wave  broke  on  our  stern,  tore  the  rudder 
completely  off,  and  left  us  at  the  mercy  of  the  winds  and 
waves. 

"  It's  all  over  with  us  now,  lads,"  said  the  captain  to 
the  men ;  "  get  the  boat  ready  to  launch  ;  we  shall  be  on 
the  rocks  in  less  than  half  an  hour." 

The  men  obeyed  in  gloomy  silence,  for  they  felt  that 
there  was  little  hope  of  so  small  a  boat  living  in  such  a 
sea. 

"  Come  boys,"  said  Jack  Martin,  in  a  grave  tone,  to 
me  and  Peterkin,  as  we  stood  on  the  quarter-deck  await- 
ing our  fate  ;  —  "  Come  boys,  we  three  shall  stick  to- 
gether. You  see  it  is  impossible  that  the  little  boat  can 
reach  the  shore,  crowded  with  men.  It  will  be  sure  to 
upset,  so  I  mean  rather  to  trust  myself  to  a  large  oar.  I 
2 


13  THE   COKAL  ISLAND. 

see  through  the  telescope  that  the  ship  will  strike  at  the 
tail  of  the  reef,  where  the  waves  break  into  the  quiet 
water  inside  ;  so,  if  we  manage  to  cling  to  the  oar  till  it 
is  driven  over  the  breakers,  we  may  perhaps  gain  the 
shore.     What  say  you  ;  will  you  join  me  ?  " 

We  gladly  agreed  to  follow  Jack,  for  he  inspired  us 
with  confidence,  although  I  could  perceive,  by  the  sad 
tone  of  his  voice,  that  he  had  little  hope  ;  and,  indeed, 
when  I  looked  at  the  white  waves  that  lashed  the  reef 
and  boiled  against  the  rocks  as  if  in  fury,  I  felt  that 
there  was  but  a  step  between  us  and  death.  My  heart 
sank  within  me  ;  but  at  that  moment  my  thoughts  turned 
to  my  beloved  mother,  and  I  remembered  those  words, 
which  were  among  the  last  that  she  said  to  me  —  "  Balph, 
my  dearest  child,  always  remember  in  the  hour  of  danger 
to  look  to  your  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  He  alone 
is  both  able,  and  willing  to  save  your  body  and  your 
soul."  So  I  felt  much  comforted  when  I  thought 
thereon. 

The  ship  was  now  very  near  the  rocks.  The  men 
were  ready  with  the  boat,  and  the  captain  beside  them 
giving  orders,  when  a  tremendous  wave  came  towards  us. 
We  three  ran  towards  the  bow  to  lay  hold  of  our  oar, 
and  had  barely  reached  it  when  the  wave  fell  on  the  deck 
with  a  crash  like  thunder.  At  the  same  moment  the  ship 
struck,  the  foremast  broke  off  close  to  the  deck  and  went 
over  the  side,  carrying  the  boat  and  men  along  with  it. 
Our  oar  got  entangled  with  the  wreck,  and  Jack  seized 
an  axe  to  cut  it  free,  but,  owing  to  the  motion  of  the  ship, 
he  missed  the  cordage  and  struck  the  axe  deep  into  the 
oar.  Another  wave,  however,  washed  it  clear  of  the 
wreck.  We  all  seized  hold  of  it,  and  the  next  instant  we 
were  struggling  in  the  wild  sea.     The  last  thing  I  saw 


'coiUo 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  10 

was  the  boat  whirling  in  the  surf,  and  all  the  sailors  tossed 
into  the  foaming  waves.     Then  I  became  insensible. 

On  recovering  from  ray  swoon,  I  found  myself  lying 
on  a  bank  of  soft  grass,  under  the  shelter  of  an  over- 
hanging rock,  with  Peterkin  on  his  knees  by  my  side, 
tenderly  bathing  my  temples  with  water,  and  endeavor- 
ing to  stop  the  blood  that  flowed  from  a  wound  in  my 
forehead. 


20  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  CORAL  ISLAND  —  OUR  FIRST  COGITATIONS  AFTER  LANDING, 
AND  THE  RESULT  OF  THEM  —  WE  CONCLUDE  THAT  THE  ISLAND 
IS    UNINHABITED. 

THERE  is  a  strange  and  peculiar  sensation  experi- 
enced in  recovering  from  a  state  of  insensibility, 
which  is  almost  indescribable ;  a  sort  of  dreamy,  confused 
consciousness  ;  a  half-waking,  half-sleeping  condition,  ac- 
companied with  a  feeling  of  weariness,  which,  however, 
is  by  no  means  disagreeable.  As  I  slowly  recovered 
and  heard  the  voice  of  Peterkin  inquiring  whether  I  felt 
better,  I  thought  that  I  must  have  overslept  myself,  and 
should  be  sent  to  the  masthead  for  being  lazy ;  but  be- 
fore I  could  leap  up  in  haste,  the  thought  seemed  to  van- 
ish suddenly  away,  and  I  fancied  that  I  must  have  been 
ill.  Then  a  balmy  breeze  fanned  my  cheek,  and  I 
thought  of  home,  and  the  garden  at  the  back  of  my 
father's  cottage,  with  its  luxuriant  flowers,  and  the  sweet- 
scented  honeysuckle  that  my  dear  mother  trained  so 
carefully  upon  the  trellised  porch.  But  the  roaring  of 
the  surf  put  these  delightful  thoughts  to  flight,  and  I  was 
back  again  at  sea,  watching  the  dolphins  and  the  flying- 
fish,  and  reefing  topsails  off  the  wild  and  stormy  Cape 
Horn.  Gradually  the  roar  of  the  surf  became  louder 
and  more  distinct.  I  thought  of  being  wrecked  far,  far 
away  from  my  native  land,  and  slowly  opened  my  eyes 
to  meet  those  of  my  companion  Jack,  who,  with  a  look 
of  intense  anxiety,  was  gazing  into  my  face. 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  21 

<•  Speak  to  us,  my  clear  Ralph,"  whispered  Jack,  ten- 
derly, "  are  you  better  now  ?  " 

I  smiled  and  looked  up,  saying,  "  Better ;  why,  what 
do  you  mean,  Jack  ?     I'm  quite  well." 

"  Then  what  are  you  shamming  for,  and  frightening 
us  in  this  way  ? "  said  Peterkin,  smiling  through  his 
tears  ;  for  the  poor  boy  had  been  really  under  the  im- 
pression that  I  was  dying. 

I  now  raised  myself  on  my  elbow,  and  putting  my 
hand  to  my  forehead,  found  that  it  had  been  cut  pretty 
severely,  and  that  I  had  lost  a  good  deal  of  blood. 

"  Come,  come,  Ralph,"  said  Jack,  pressing  me  gently 
backward,  "  lie  down,  my  boy  ;  you're  not  right  yet. 
Wet  your  lips  with  this  water,  it's  cool  and  clear  as  crys- 
tal. I  got  it  from  a  spring  close  at  hand.  There,  now, 
don't  say  a  word,  hold  your  tongue,"  said  he,  seeing  me 
about  to  speak.  "  I'll  tell  you  all  about  it,  but  you  must 
not  utter  a  syllable  till  you  have  rested  well." 

"  Oh  !  don't  stop  him  from  speaking,  Jack,"  said  Pe- 
terkin, who,  now  that  his  fears  for  my  safety  were  re- 
moved, busied  himself  in  erecting  a  shelter  of  broken 
branches  in  order  to  protect  me  from  the  wind  ;  which, 
however,  was  almost  unnecessary,  for  the  rock  beside 
which  I  had  been  laid  completely  broke  the  force  of  the 
gale.  "  Let  him  speak,  Jack  ;  it's  a  comfort  to  hear  that 
he's  alive,  after  lying  there  stiff,  and  white,  and  sulky  for 
a  whole  hour,  just  like  an  Egyptian  mummy.  Never 
saw  such  a  fellow  as  you  are,  Ralph ;  always  up  to  mis- 
chief. You've  almost  knocked  out  all  my  teeth  and 
more  than  half  choked  me,  and  now  you  go  shamming 
dead !     It's  very  wicked  of  you,  indeed  it  is." 

While  Peterkin  ran  on  in  this  style,  my  faculties  be- 
came quite  clear  again,  and  I  began   to  understand  my 


22-  L\HE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

position.     "  What  do  you  mean  by  saying  I  half  choked 


you 


Peterkin  ?  "  said  I. 


"  What  do  I  mean  ?  Is  English  not  your  mother 
tongue,  or  do  you  want  me  to  repeat  it  in  French,  by 
way  of  making  it  clearer  ?     Don't  you  remember  —  " 

"  I  remember  nothing,"  said  I,  interrupting  him,  "  after 
we  were  thrown  into  the  sea." 

"  Hush,  Peterkin,"  said  Jack,  "  you're  exciting  Ralph 
with  your  nonsense.  I'll  explain  it  to  you.  You  recol- 
lect that  after  the  ship  struck,  we  three  sprang  over  the 
bow  into  the  sea ;  well,  I  noticed  that  the  oar  struck 
your  head  and  gave  you  that  cut  on  the  brow,  which 
nearly  stunned  you,  so  that  you  grasped  Peterkin  round 
the  neck  without  knowing  apparently  what  you  were 
about.  In  doing  so  you  pushed  the  telescope  —  which 
you  clung  to  as  if  it  had  been  your  life  —  against  Peter- 
kin's  mouth  —  " 

"  Pushed  it  against  his  mouth !  "  interrupted  Peterkin, 
"  say  crammed  it  down  his  throat.  Why,  there's  a  dis- 
tinct mark  of  the  brass  rim  on  the  back  of  my  gullet  at 
this  moment ! " 

"  Well,  well,  be  that  as  it  may,"  continued  Jack,  "  you 
clung  to  him,  Ralph,  till  I  feared  you  really  would  choke 
him  ;  but  I  saw  that  he  had  a  good  hold  of  the  oar,  so  I 
exerted  myself  to  the  utmost  to  push  you  towards  the 
shore,  which  we  luckily  reached  without  much  trouble, 
for  the  water  inside  the  reef  is  quite  calm." 

"  But  the  captain  and  crew,  what  of  them  ?  "  I  in- 
quired anxiously. 

Jack  shook  his  head. 

"Are  they  lost?" 

"  No,  they  are  not  lost,  I  hope,  but  I  fear  there  is  not 
much  chance  of  their  being  saved.     The  ship  struck  at 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  23 

the  very  tail  of  the  island  on  which  we  are  cast.     When 

the  boat  was  tossed  into  the  sea  it  fortunately  did  not  up- 
set, although  it  shipped  a  good  deal  of  water,  and  all  the 
men  managed  to  scramble  into  it ;  but  before  they  could 
get  the  oars  out  the  gale  carried  them  past  the  point 
and  away  to  leeward  of  the  island.  After  we  landed  I 
saw  them  endeavoring  to  pull  towards  us,  but  as  they 
had  only  one  pair  of  oars  out  of  the  eight  that  belong  to 
the  boat,  and  as  the  wind  was  blowing  right  in  their 
teeth,  they  gradually  lost  ground.  Then  I  saw  them  put 
about  and  hoist  some  sort  of  sail,  —  a  blanket,  I  fancy,  for 
it  was  too  small  for  the  boat,  —  and  in  half  an  hour  they 
were  out  of  sight." 

"  Poor  fellows,"  I  murmured  sorrowfully. 

"  But  the  more  I  think  about  it,  I've  better  hope  of 
them,"  continued  Jack,  in  a  more  cheerful  tone.  "  You 
see,  Ralph,  I've  read  a  great  deal  about  these  South  Sea 
Islands,  and  I  know  that  in  many  places  they  are  scat- 
tered about  in  thousands  over  the  sea,  so  they're  almost 
sure  to  fall  in  with  one  of  them  before  long." 

"I'm  sure  I  hope  so,"  said  Peterkin,  earnestly.  "  But 
what  has  become  of  the  wreck,  Jack  ?  I  saw  you  clam- 
bering up  the  rocks  there  while  I  was  watching  Ralph. 
Did  you  say  she  had  gone  to  pieces  ?  " 

"  No,  she  has  not  gone  to  pieces,  but  she  has  gone  to 
the  bottom,"  replied  Jack.  "  As  I  said  before,  she  struck 
on  the  tail  of  the  island  and  stove  in  her  bow,  but  the 
next  breaker  swung  her  clear,  and  she  floated  away  to 
leeward.  The  poor  fellows  in  the  boat  made  a  hard 
struggle  to  reach  her,  but  long  before  they  came  near 
her  she  filled  and  went  down.  It  was  after  she  foun- 
dered that  I  saw  them  trying  to  pull  to  the  island." 

There  was  a  long  silence  after  Jack  ceased  speaking, 


24  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

and  I  have  no  doubt  that  each  was  revolving  in  his 
raind  our  extraordinary  position.  For  my  part  I  cannot 
say  that  my  reflections  were  very  agreeable.  I  knew 
that  we  were  on  an  island,  for  Jack  had  said  so,  but 
whether  it  was  inhabited  or  not  I  did  not  know.  If  it 
should  be  inhabited,  I  felt  certain,  from  all  I  had  heard 
of  South  Sea  Islanders,  that  we  should  be  roasted  alive 
and  eaten.  If  it  should  turn  out  to  be  uninhabited,  I 
fancied  that  we  should  be  starved  to  death.  "  Oh ! " 
thought  I,  "  if  the  ship  had  only  struck  on  the  rocks  we 
might  have  done  pretty  well,  for  we  could  have  ob- 
tained provisions  from  her,  and  tools  to  enable  us  to  build 
a  shelter,  but  now  —  alas !  alas  !  we  are  lost ! "  These 
last  words  I  uttered  aloud  in  my  distress. 

"  Lost !  Ralph  ?  "  exclaimed  Jack,  while  a  smile  over- 
spread his  hearty  countenance.  "  Saved,  you  should  have 
said.  Your  cogitations  seem  to  have  taken  a  wrong  road, 
and  led  you  to  a  wrong  conclusion." 

"  Do  you  know  what  conclusion  /  have  come  to?  "  said 
Peterkin.  "  I  have  made  up  my  mind  that  it's  capital, — 
first  rate,  —  the  best  thing  that  ever  happened  to  us,  and 
the  most  splendid  prospect  that  ever  lay  before  three 
jolly  young  tars.  We've  got  an  island  all  to  ourselves. 
We'll  take  possession  in  the  name  of  the  king ;  we'll  go 
and  enter  the  service  of  its  black  inhabitants.  Of  course 
we'll  rise,  naturally,  to  the  top  of  affairs.  White  men 
always  do  in  savage  countries.  You  shall  be  king,  Jack  ; 
Ralph,  prime  minister,  and  I  shall  be  —  " 

"  The  court  jester,"  interrupted  Jack. 

"  No,"  retorted  Peterkin,  "  I'll  have  no  title  at  all.  I 
shall  merely  accept  a  highly  responsible  situation  under 
government,  for  you  see,  Jack,  I'm  fond  of  having  an 
enormous  salary  and  nothing  to  do." 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  25 

"  But  suppose  there  are  no  native-  ? '' 

"  Then  we'll  build  a  charming  villa,  and  plant  a  lovely 
garden  round  it,  stuck  all  full  of  the  most  splendiferous 
tropical  flowers,  and  we'll  farm  the  land,  plant,  sow,  reap, 
eat,  sleep,  and  be  merry." 

"  But  to  be  serious,"  said  Jack,  assuming  a  grave  ex- 
pression of  countenance,  which  I  observed  always  had  the 
effect  of  checking  Peterkin's  disposition  to  make  fun  of 
everything,  "  we  are  really  in  rather  an  uncomfortable 
position.  If  this  is  a  desert  island,  we  shall  have  to  live 
very  much  like  the  wild  beasts,  for  we  have  not  a  tool  of 
any  kind,  not  even  a  knife." 

"  Yes,  we  have  that"  said  Peterkin,  fumbling  in  his 
trousers  pocket,  from  which  he  drew  forth  a  small  pen- 
knife with  only  one  blade,  and  that  was  broken. 

"  Well,  that's  better  than  nothing ;  but  come,"  said 
Jack,  rising,  "  we  are  wasting  our  time  in  talking  instead 
of  doing.  You  seem  well  enough  to  walk  now,  Ealph, 
let  us  see  what  we  have  got  in  our  pockets,  and  then  let 
us  climb  some  hill  and  ascertain  what  sort  of  island  we 
have  been  cast  upon,  for,  whether  good  or  bad,  it  seems 
likely  to  be  our  home  for  some  time  to  come." 


26  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

WE  EXAMINE  INTO  OUR  PERSONAL  PROPERTY,  AND  MAKE  A 
HAPPY  DISCOVERY  —  OUR  ISLAND  DESCRIBED  — JACK  PROVES 
HIMSELF  TO  BE  LEARNED  AND  SAGACIOUS  ABOVE  HIS  EEL- 
LOWS  —  CURIOUS    DISCOVERIES  —  NATURAL    LEMONADE  ! 


WE  now  seated  ourselves  upon  a  rock  and  began  to 
examine  into  our  personal  property.  When  we 
reached  the  shore,  after  being  wrecked,  my  companions 
had  taken  off  part  of  their  clothes  and  spread  them  out 
in  the  sun  to  dry,  for,  although  the  gale  was  raging 
fiercely,  there  was  not  a  single  cloud  in  the  bright  sky. 
They  had  also  stripped  off  most  part  of  my  wet  clothes 
and  spread  them  also  on  the  rocks.  Having  resumed  our 
garments,  we  now  searched  all  our  pockets  with  the  ut- 
most care,  and  laid  their  contents  out  on  a  fiat  stone  be- 
fore us  ;  and,  now  that  our  minds  were  fully  alive  to  our 
condition,  it  was  with  no  little  anxiety  that  we  turned 
our  several  pockets  inside  out,  in  order  that  nothing 
might  escape  us.  When  all  was  collected  together  Ave 
found  that  our  worldly  goods  consisted  of  the  following 
articles  :  — 

First,  A  small  penknife  with  a  single  blade  broken  off 
about  the  middle  and  very  rusty,  besides  having  two  or 
three  notches  on  its  edge.  (Peterkin  said  of  this,  with 
his  usual  pleasantry,  that  it  would  do  for  a  saw  as  well 
as  a  knife,  which  was  a  great  advantage.)  Second,  An 
old  German-silver   pencil-case  without  any  lead   in  it. 


THE  CORAL. ISLAND.  27 

Third,  A  piece  of  whipcord  about  six  yards  long. 
Fourth,  A  sail-maker's  needle  of  a  small  size.  Fifth,  A 
-hip's  telescope,  which  I  happened  to  have  in  my  hand 
at  the  time  the  ship  struck,  and  which  I  had  clung  to 
firmly  all  the  time  I  was  in  the  water.  Indeed  it  was 
with  difficulty  that  Jack  got  it  out  of  my  grasp  when  I 
was  lying  insensible  on  the  shore.  I  cannot  understand 
why  I  kept  such  a  firm  hold  of  this  telescope.  They  say 
that  a  drowning  man  will  clutch  at  a  straw.  Perhaps  it 
may  have  been  some  such  feeling  in  me,  for  I  did  not 
know  that  it  was  in  my  hand  at  the  time  we  were  wrecked. 
However,  we  felt  some  pleasure  in  having  it  with  us  now, 
although  we  did  not  see  that  it  could  be  of  much  use  to 
us,  as  the  glass  at  the  small  end  was  broken  to  pieces. 
Our  sixth  article  was  a  brass  ring  which  .Tack  always 
wore  on  his  little  finger.  I  never  understood  why  he 
wore  it,  for  Jack  was  not  vain  of  his  appearance,  and  did 
not  seem  to  care  for  ornaments  of  any  kind.  Peterkin 
said  "it  was  in  memory  of  the  girl  he  left  behind  him  !  " 
But  as  he  never  spoke  of  this  girl  to  either  of  us,  I  am 
inclined  to  think  that  Peterkin  was  either  jesting  or  mis- 
taken. In  addition  to  these  articles  we  had  a  little  bit  of 
tinder,  and  the  clothes  on  our  backs.  These  last  were  as 
follows  :  — 

Each  of  us  had  on  a  pair  of  stout  canvas  trousers,  and 
a  pair  of  sailors'  thick  shoes.  Jack  wore  a  red  flannel 
shirt,  a  blue  jacket,  and  a  red  Kilmarnock  bonnet  or 
nightcap,  besides  a  pair  of  worsted  sock-,  and  a  cotton 
pocket-handkerchief,  with  sixteen  portraits  of  Lord  Nel- 
son printed  on  'it,  and  a  Union  Jack  in  the  middle. 
Peterkin  had  on  a  striped  flannel  shirt,  —  which  he  wore 
outside  his  trousers,  and  belted  round  his  waist,  after  the 
maimer  of  a  tunic,  — and  a  round  black  straw  hat.      1  Ic 


28  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

had  no  jacket,  having  thrown  it  off  just  before  we  were 
cast  into  the  sea ;  but  this  was  not  of  much  consequence, 
as  the  climate  of  the  island  proved  to  be  extremely  mild  ; 
so  much  so,  indeed,  that  Jack  and  I  often  preferred  to  go 
about  without  our  jackets.  Peterkin  had  also  a  pair  of 
white  cotton  socks,  and  a  blue  handkerchief  with  white 
spots  all  over  it.  My  own  costume  consisted  of  a  blue  flan- 
nel shirt,  a  blue  jacket,  a  black  cap,  and  a  pair  of  worsted 
socks,  besides  the  shoes  and  canvas  trousers  already 
mentioned.  This  was  all  we  had,  and  besides  these 
things  we  had  nothing  else ;  but,  when  we  thought  of 
the  danger  from  which  we  had  escaped,  and  how  much 
worse  off  we  might  have  been  had  the  ship  struck  on  the 
reef  during  the  night,  we  felt  very  thankful  that  we  were 
possessed  of  so  much,  although,  I  must  confess,  we  some- 
times wished  that  we  had  had  a  little  more. 

While  we  were  examining  these  things,  and  talking 
about  them,  Jack  suddenly  started  and  exclaimed  — 

"  The  oar  !  we  have  forgotten  the  oar." 

"  What  good  will  that  do  us  ?  "  said  Peterkin  ;  "  there's 
wood  enough  on  the  island  to  make  a  thousand  oars." 

"  Ay,  lad,"  replied  Jack,  "  but  there's  a  bit  of  hoop 
iron  at  the  end  of  it,  and  that  may  be  of  much  use  to  us." 

"  Very  true,"  said  I,  "  let  us  go  fetch  it ; "  and  with 
that  we  all  three  rose  and  hastened  down  to  the  beach. 
I  still  felt  a  little  weak  from  loss  of  blood,  so  that  my 
companions  soon  began  to  leave  me  behind  ;  but  Jack 
perceived  this,  and,  with  his  usual  considerate  good-na- 
ture, turned  back  to  help  me.  This  was  now  the  first 
time  that  I  had  looked  well  about  me  since  landing,  as 
the  spot  where  I  had  been  laid  was  covered  with  thick 
bushes  which  almost  hid  the  country  from  our  view.  As 
we  now  emerged  from  among  these  and  walked  down 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  29 

the  sandy  beach  together,  I  cast  my  eyes  about,  and, 
truly,  my  heart  glowed  within  me  and  my  spirits  rose  at 
the  beautiful  prospect  which  I  beheld  on  every  side.  The 
gale  had  suddenly  died  away,  just  as  if  it  had  blown 
furiously  till  it  dashed  our  ship  upon  the  rocks,  and  had 
nothing  more  to  do  after  accomplishing  that.  The  island 
on  which  we  stood  was  hilly,  and  covered  almost  every- 
where with  the  most  beautiful  and  richly  colored  trees, 
bushes,  and  shrubs,  none  of  which  I  knew  the  names  of 
at  that  time,  except,  indeed,  the  cocoa-nut  palms,  which 
I  recognized  at  once  from  the  many  pictures  that  I  had 
seen  of  them  before  I  left  home.  A  sandy  beach  of 
dazzling  whiteness  lined  this  bright  green  shore,  and 
upon  it  there  fell  a  gentle  ripple  of  the  sea.  This  last 
astonished  me  much,  for  I  recollected  that  at  home  the 
sea  used  to  fall  in  huge  billows  on  the  shore  long  after  a 
storm  had  subsided.  But  on  casting  my  glance  out  to 
sea  the  cause  became  apparent.  About  a  mile  distant 
from  the  shore  I  saw  the  great  billows  of  the  ocean  roll- 
ing like  a  green  wall,  and  falling  with  a  long,  loud  roar, 
upon  a  low  coral  reef,  where  they  were  dashed  into  white 
foam  and  flung  up  in  clouds  of  spray.  This  spray  some- 
times flew  exceedingly  high,  and,  every  here  and  there, 
a  beautiful  rainbow  was  formed  for  a  moment  anions  the 
falling  drops.  We  afterwards  found  that  this  coral  reef 
extended  quite  round  the  island,  and  formed  a  natural 
breakwater  to  it.  Beyond  this  the  sea  rose  and  tossed 
violently  from  the  effects  of  the  storm ;  but  between  the 
reef  and  the  shore  it  was  as  calm  and  as  smooth  as  a 
pond. 

My  heart  was  filled  with  more  delight  than  I  can 
express  at  sight  of  so  many  glorious  objects,  and  my 
thoughts    turned  suddenly  to   the  contemplation  of  the 


30  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

Creator  of  them  all.  I  mention  this  the  more  gladly, 
because  at  that  time,  I  am  ashamed  to  say,  I  very  seldom 
thought  of  my  Creator,  although  I  was  constantly  sur- 
rounded by  the  most  beautiful  and  wonderful  of  His 
works.  I  observed  from  the  expression  of  my  com- 
panion's countenance  that  he  too  derived  much  joy  from 
the  splendid  scenery,  which  was  all  the  more  agreeable 
to  us  after  our  long  voyage  on  the  salt  sea.  There,  the 
breeze  was  fresh  and  cold,  but  here  it  was  delightfully 
mild  ;  and,  when  a  puff  blew  off  the  land,  it  came  laden 
with  the  most  exquisite  perfume  that  can  be  imagined. 
"While  we  thus  gazed,  we  were  startled  by  a  loud  "  Huz- 
za!" from  Peterkin,  and,  on  looking  towards  the  edge 
of  the  sea,  we  saw  him  capering  and  jumping  about  like 
a  monkey,  and  ever  and  anon  tugging  with  all  his  might 
at  something  that  lay  upon  the  shore. 

"  What  an  odd  fellow  he  is,  to  be  sure,"  said  Jack, 
taking  me  by  the  arm  and  hurrying  forward  ;  "  come,  let 
us  hasten  to  see  what  it  is." 

"  Here  it  is,  boys,  hurrah  !  come  along.  Just  what 
we  want,"  cried  Peterkin,  as  we  drew  near,  still  tug- 
ging with  all  his  power.  "  First  rate ;  just  the  very 
ticket ! " 

I  need  scarcely  say  to  my  readers  that  my  companion 
Peterkin  was  in  the  habit  of  using  very  remarkable 
and  peculiar  phrases.  And  I  am  free  to  confess  that  I 
did  not  well  understand  the  meaning  of  some  of  them, 
—  such,  for  instance,  as  "  the  very  ticket ;  "  but  I  think 
it  my  duty  to  recount  everything  relating  to  my  adven- 
tures with  a  strict  regard  to  truthfulness  in  as  far  as  my 
memory  serves  me ;  so  I  write,  as  nearly  as  possible,  the 
exact  words  that  my  companions  spoke.  I  often  asked 
Peterkin  to  explain  what  he  meant  by  "  ticket,"  but  he 


THE   CORAL    ISLAND.  31 

always  answered  me  by  going  into  fits  of  laughter. 
However,  by  observing  the  occasions  on  which  he  used 
it,  I  came  to  understand  that  it  meant  to  show  that  some- 
thing was  remarkably  good,  or  fortunate. 

On  coming  up  we  found  that  Peterkin  was  vainly 
endeavoring  to  pull  the  axe  out  of  the  oar,  into  which, 
it  will  be  remembered,  Jack  struck  it  while  endeavor- 
ing to  cut  away  the  cordage  among  which  it  had  be- 
come entangled  at  the  bow  of  the  ship.  Fortunately 
for  us  the  axe  had  remained  fast  in  the  oar,  and  even 
now,  all  Peterkin's  strength  could  not  draw  it  out  of 
the  cut. 

"  Ah  !  that  is  capital  indeed,"  cried  Jack,  at  the  same 
time  giving  the  axe  a  wrench  that  plucked  it  out  of 
the  tough  wood.  "  How  fortunate  this  is  !  Ii  will  be  of 
more  value  to  us  than  a  hundred  knives,  and  the  edge  is 
quite  new  and  sharp." 

"  I'll  answer  for  the  toughness  of  the  handle  at  any 
rate,"  cried  Peterkin ;  "  my  arms  are  nearly  pulled  out 
of  the  sockets.  But  see  here,  our  luck  is  great.  There 
is  iron  on  the  blade."  He  pointed  to  a  piece  of  hoop 
iron,  as  he  spoke,  which  had  been  nailed  round  the  blade 
of  the  oar  to  prevent  it  from  splitting. 

This  also  was  a  fortunate  discovery.  Jack  went  down 
on  his  knees,  and  with  the  edge  of  the  axe  began  care- 
fully to  force  out  the  nails.  But  as  they  were  firmly 
fixed  in,  and  the  operation  blunted  our  axe,  we  carried 
the  oar  up  with  us  to  the  place  where  we  had  left  the 
rest  of  our  things,  intending  to  burn  the  wood  away  from 
the  iron  at  a  more  convenient  time. 

"  Now,  lads,"  said  Jack,  after  we  had  laid  it  on  the 
stone  which  contained  our  little  all,  "  I  propose  that  we 
should  go  to  the  tail  of  the  island,  where  the  .-hip  struck, 


32  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

which  is  only  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off,  and  see  if  anything 
else  has  been  thrown  ashore.  I  don't  expect  anything, 
but  it  is  well  to  see.  When  we  get  back  here  it  will  be 
time  to  have  our  supper  and  prepare  our  beds." 

"  Agreed !  "  cried  Peterkin  and  I  together,  as,  indeed, 
we  would  have  agreed  to  any  proposal  that  Jack  made  ; 
for,  besides  his  being  older  and  much  stronger  and  taller 
than  either  of  us,  he  was  a  very  clever  fellow,  and  I 
think  would  have  induced  people  much  older  than  him- 
self to  choose  him  for  their  leader,  especially  if  they  re- 
quired to  be  led  on  a  bold  enterprise. 

Now,  as  we  hastened  along  the  white  beach,  which 
shone  so  brightly  in  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun  that  our 
eyes  were  quite  dazzled  by  its  glare,  it  suddenly  came 
into  Peterkin's  head  that  we  had  nothing  to  eat  except 
the  wild  berries  which  grew  in  profusion  at  our  feet. 

"  What  shall  we  do,  Jack  ? "  said  he,  with  a  rueful 
look  ;  "  perhaps  they  may  be  poisonous  !  " 

"  No  fear,"  replied  Jack,  confidently ;  "  I  have  ob- 
served that  a  few  of  them  are  not  unlike  some  of  the 
berries  that  grow  wild  on  our  own  native  hills.  Besides, 
I  saw  one  or  two  strange  birds  eating  them  just  a  few 
minutes  ago,  and  what  won't  kill  the  birds  won't  kill  us. 
But  look  up  there,  Peterkin,"  continued  Jack,  pointing 
to  the  branched  head  of  a  cocoa-nut  palm.  "  There  are 
nuts  for  us  in  all  stages." 

"  So  there  are  !  "  cried  Peterkin,  who  being  of  a  very 
unobservant  nature  had  been  too  much  taken  up  with 
other  things  to  notice  anything  so  high  above  his  head 
as  the  fruit  of  a  palm-tree.  But,  whatever  faults  my 
young  comrade  had,  he  could  not  be  blamed  for  want  of 
activity  or  animal  spirits.  Indeed,  the  nuts  had  scarcely 
been  pointed  out  to  him  when  he  bounded  up  the  tall 


THE  CORAL   tSLAND.  33 

stem  of  the  tree  like  a  squirrel,  and,  in  a  few  minute.-, 
returned  with  three  nuts,  each  as  large  as  a  man'-  fist. 

"You  had  better  keep  them  till  we  return,"  said  Jack. 
"  Let  us  finish  our  work  before  eating." 

"  So  be  it,  captain,  go  ahead,"  cried  Peterkin,  thrusting 
the  nuts  into  his  trousers  pocket.  "  In  fact  I  don't  want 
to  eat  just  now,  but  I  would  give  a  good  deal  for  a  drink. 
Oh  that  I  could  find  a  spring !  but  I  don't  see  the  smallest 
sign  of  one  hereabouts.  I  say,  Jack,  how  does  it  happen 
that  you  seem  to  "be  up  to  everything?  You  have  told 
us  the  names  of  half  a  dozen  trees  already,  and  yet  you 
say  that  you  were  never  in  the  South  Seas  before." 

"  I'm  not  up  to  everything,  Peterkin,  as  you'll  find  out 
ere  long,"  replied  Jack,  with  a  smile ;  "  but  I  have  been 
a  great  reader  of  books  of  travel  and  adventure  all  my 
life,  and  that  has  put  me  up  to  a  good  many  things  that 
you  are,  perhaps,  not  acquainted  with." 

"  Oh,  Jack,  that's  all  humbug.  If  you  begin  to  lay 
everything  to  the  credit  of  books,  I'll  quite  lose  my 
opinion  of  you,"  cried  Peterkin,  with  a  look  of  contempt. 
"I've  seen  a  lot  o'  fellows  that  were  always  poring  over 
books,  and  when  they  came  to  try  to  do  anything,  they 
were  no  better  than  baboons  !  " 

"  You  are  quite  right,"  retorted  Jack  ;  "  and  I  have 
seen  a  lot  of  fellows  who  never  looked  into  books  at  all, 
who  knew  nothing  about  anything  except  the  things  they 
had  actually  seen,  and  very  little  they  knew  even  about 
these.  Indeed,  some  were  so  ignorant  that  they  did  not 
know  that  cocoa-nuts  grew  on  cocoa-nut  trees  !  " 

I  could  not  refrain  from  laughing  at  this  rebuke,  for 
there  was  much  truth  in  it,  as  to  Peterkin's  ignorance. 

"  Humph!  may  be  you're  right,"  answered  Peterkin; 
"  but  I  would  not  give  tuppence  for  a  man  of  books,  if  he 
had  nothing  else  in  him." 


34  THE   COEAL  ISLAND. 

"  Neither  would  I,"  said  Jack  ;  "  but  that's  no  reason 
why  you  should  run  books  down,  or  think  less  of  me  for 
having  read  them.  Suppose,  now,  Peterkin,  that  you 
wanted  to  build  a  ship,  and  I  were  to  give  you  a  long 
and  particular  account  of  the  way  to  do  it,  would  not  that 
be  very  useful  ?  " 

"  No  doubt  of  it,"  said  Peterkin,  laughing. 

"  And  suppose  I  were  to  write  the  account  in  a  letter 
instead  of  telling  you  in  words,  would  that  be  less  use- 
ful?" 

"  Well  —  no,  perhaps  not." 

"  Well,  suppose  I  were  to  print  it,  and  send  it  to  you 
in  the  form  of  a  book,  would  it  not  be  as  good  and  useful 
as  ever  ? " 

"  Oh,  bother  !  Jack,  you're  a  philosopher,  and  that's 
worse  than  anything !  "  cried  Peterkin,  with  a  look  of 
pretended  horror. 

"  Very  well,  Peterkin,  we  shall  see,"  returned  Jack, 
halting  under  the  shade  of  a  cocoa-nut  tree.  "  You  said 
you  were  thirsty  just  a  minute  ago  ;  now,  jump  up  that 
tree  and  bring  down  a  nut,  —  not  a  ripe  one,  bring  a 
green,  unripe  one." 

Peterkin  looked  surprised,  but,  seeing  that  Jack  was 
in  earnest,  he  obeyed. 

"  Now,  cut  a  hole  in  it  with  your  penknife,  and  clap  it 
to  your  mouth,  old  fellow,"  said  Jack. 

Peterkin  did  as  he  was  directed,  and  we  both  burst 
into  uncontrollable  laughter  at  the  changes  that  instantly 
passed  over  his  expressive  countenance.  No  sooner  had 
he  put  the  nut  to  his  mouth,  and  thrown  back  his  head  in 
order  to  catch  what  came  out  of  it,  than  his  eyes  opened 
to  twice  their  ordinary  size  with  astonishment,  while  his 
throat  moved  vigorously  in  the  act  of  swallowing.     Then 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  35 

a  smile  and  look  of  intense  delight  overspread  his  face, 
except,  indeed,  the  mouth,  which,  being  firmly  fixed  to 
the  hole  in  the  nut,  could  not  take  part  in  the  expression ; 
but  he  endeavored  to  make  up  for  this  by  winking  at  us 
excessively  with  his  right  eye.  At  length  he  stopped, 
and,  drawing  a  long  breath,  exclaimed  — 

"  Nectar  !  perfect  nectar  !  I  say,  Jack,  you're  a  Briton 
— the  best  fellow  I  ever  met  in  my  life.  Only  taste 
that !  "  said  he,  turning  to  me  and  holding  the  nut  to  my 
mouth.  I  immediately  drank,  and  certainly  I  was  much 
surprised  at  the  delightful  liquid  that  flowed  copiously 
down  my  throat.  It  was  extremely  cool,  and  had  a 
sweet  taste,  mingled  with  acid ;  in  fact,  it  was  the  likest 
thing  to  lemonade  I  ever  tasted,  and  was  most  grateful 
and  refreshing.  I  handed  the  nut  to  Jack,  who,  after 
tasting  it,  said,  "Now,  Peterkin,  you  unbeliever,  I  never 
Baw  or  tasted  a  cocoa-nut  in  my  life  before,  except  those 
sold  in  shops  at  home  ;  but  I  once  read  that  the  green 
nuts  contain  that  stuff,  and  you  see  it  is  true ! " 

"And  pray,"  asked  Peterkin,  "what  sort  of  'stuff' 
does  the  ripe  nut  contain  ?  " 

"A  hollow  kernel,"  answered  Jack,  "  with  a  liquid  like 
milk  in  it ;  but  it  does  not  satisfy  thirst  so  well  as  hunger. 
It  is  very  wholesome  food  I  believe." 

"  Meat  and  drink  on  the  same  tree  !  "  cried  Peterkin  ; 
"  washing  in  the  sea,  lodging  on  the  ground,  —  and  all 
for  nothing  !  My  dear  boys,  we're  set  up  for  life ;  it 
must  be  the  ancient  Paradise,  —  hurrah  !  "  and  Peterkin 
tossed  his  straw  hat  in  the  air,  and  ran  along  the  beach 
hallooing  like  a  madman  with  delight. 

"Wo  afterwards  found,  however,  that  these  lovely 
islands  were  very  unlike  Paradise  in  many  thing-.  But 
more  of  this  in  its  proper  place. 


36  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

We  had  now  come  to  the  point  of  rocks  on  which  the 
ship  had  struck,  but  did  not  find  a  single  article,  although 
we  searched  carefully  among  the  coral  rocks,  which  at 
this  place  jutted  out  so  far  as  nearly  to  join  the  reef  that 
encircled  the  island.  Just  as  we  were  about  to  return, 
however,  we  saw  something  black  floating  in  a  little  cove 
that  had  escaped  our  observation.  Running  forward,  we 
drew  it  from  the  water,  and  found  it  to  be  a  long  thick 
leather  boot,  such  as  fishermen  at  home  wear ;  and  a  few 
paces  farther  on  we  picked  up  its  fellow.  We  at  once 
recognized  these  as  having  belonged  to  our  captain,  for 
he  had  worn  them  during  the  whole  of  the  storm,  in 
order  to  guard  his  legs  from  the  waves  and  spray  that 
constantly  washed  over  our  decks.  My  first  thought  on 
seeing  them  was  that  our  dear  captain  had  been  drown- 
ed ;  but  Jack  soon  put  my  mind  more  at  rest  on  that 
point,  by  saying  that  if  the  captain  had  been  drowned 
with  the  boots  on,  he  would  certainly  have  been  washed 
ashore  along  with  them,  and  that  he  had  no  doubt  what- 
ever he  had  kicked  them  off  while  in  the  sea,  that  he 
might  swim  more  easily. 

Peterkin  immediately  put  them  on,  but  they  were  so 
large  that,  as  Jack  said,  they  would  have  done  for  boots, 
trousers,  and  vest  too.  I  also  tried  them,  but,  although 
I  was  long  enough  in  the  legs  for  them,  they  were  much 
too  large  in  the  feet  for  me ;  so  we  handed  them  to  Jack, 
who  was  anxious  to  make  me  keep  them,  but  as  they 
fitted  his  large  limbs  and  feet  as  if  they  had  been  made 
for  him,  I  would  not  hear  of  it,  so  he  consented  at  last 
to  use  them.  I  may  remark,  however,  that  Jack  did  not 
use  them  often,  as  they  were  extremely  heavy. 

It  was  beginning  to  grow  dark  when  we  returned  to 
our  encampment ;   so  we  put  off  our  visit  to  the  top  of 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  7 

a  hill  till  next  day,  and  employed  the  light  that  yet  re- 
mained to  us  in  cutting  down  a  quantity  of  boughs  and 

the  broad  leaves  of  a  tree,  of  which  none  of  us  knew  the 
name.  With  these  we  erected  a  sort  of  rustic  bower,  in 
which  we  meant  to  pass  the  night.  There  was  no  abso- 
lute necessity  for  this,  because  the  air  of  our  island  was 
so  genial  and  balmy  that  we  could  have  slept  quite  well 
without  any  shelter  ;  but  we  were  so  little  used  to  sleep- 
ing in  the  open  air,  that  we  did  not  quite  relish  the  idea 
of  lying  down  without  any  covering  over  us  ;  besides, 
our  bower  would  shelter  us  from  the  night  dews  or  rain, 
if  any  should  happen  to  fall.  Having  strewed  the  floor 
with  leaves  and  dry  grass,  we  bethought  ourselves  of 
supper. 

But  it  now  occurred  to  us,  for  the  first  time,  that  we 
had  no  means  of  making  a  fire. 

"  Now,  there's  a  iix  !  —  what  shall  we  do  ?  "  said  Peter- 
kin,  while  we  both  turned  our  eyes  to  Jack,  to  whom  we 
always  looked  in  our  difficulties.  Jack  seemed  not  a 
little  perplexed. 

"  There  are  flints  enough,  no  doubt,  on  the  beach,"  said 
he,  "  but  they  are  of  no  use  at  all  without  a  steel.  How- 
ever, wre  must  try."  So  saying,  he  went  to  the  beach, 
and  soon  returned  with  two  flints.  On  one  of  these  he 
placed  the  tinder,  and  endeavored  to  ignite  it ;  but  it 
was  with  great  difficulty  that  a  very  small  spark  was 
struck  out  of  the  flints,  and  the  tinder,  being  a  bad,  hard 
piece,  would  not  catch.  He  then  tried  the  bit  of  hoop 
iron,  which  would  not  strike  fire  at  all;  and  after  that  the 
back  of  the  axe,  with  no  better  success.  During  all 
these  trials  Feterkin  sat  with  his  hands  in  his  pockets, 
gazing  with  ti  most  melancholy  visage  at  our  comrade, 
his  face  growing  longer  and  more  miserable  at  each  suc- 
cessive failure. 


38  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

"  Oh  dear !  "  he  sighed,  "  I  would  not  care  a  button  for 
the  cooking  of  our  victuals,  —  perhaps  they  don't  need 
it,  —  but  it's  so  dismal  to  eat  one's  supper  in  the  dark,  and 
we  have  had  such  a  capital  day,  that  it's  a  pity  to  finish 
off  in  this  glum  style.  Oh,  I  have  it !  "  he  cried,  starting 
up  ;  "  the  spy-glass,  —  the  big  glass  at  the  end  is  a  burn- 
ing-glass ! " 

"  You  forget  that  we  have  no  sun,"  said  I. 

Peterkin  was  silent.  In  his  sudden  recollection  of  the 
telescope  he  had  quite  overlooked  the  absence  of  the 
sun. 

"  Ah,  boys,  I've  got  it  now  ! "  exclaimed  Jack,  rising 
and  cutting  a  branch  from  a  neighboring  bush,  which  he 
stripped  of  its  leaves.  "  I  recollect  seeing  this  done  once  at 
home.  Hand  me  the  bit  of  whip-cord."  With  the  cord 
and  branch  Jack  soon  formed  a  bow.  Then  he  cut  a 
piece,  about  three  inches  long,  off  the  end  of  a  dead 
branch,  which  he  pointed  at  the  two  ends.  Round  this 
he  passed  the  cord  of  the  bow,  and  placed  one  end  against 
his  chest,  which  was  protected  from  its  point  by  a  chip  of 
wood  ;  the  other  point  he  placed  against  the  bit  of  tinder, 
and  then  began  to  saw  vigorously  with  the  bow,  just  as  a 
blacksmith  does  with  his  drill  while  boring  a  hole  in  a 
piece  of  iron.  In  a  few  seconds  the  tinder  began  to 
smoke ;  in  less  than  a  minute  it  caught  fire  ;  and  in  less 
than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  we  were  drinking  our  lemon- 
ade and  eating  cocoa-nuts  round  a  fire  that  would  have 
roasted  an  entire  sheep,  while  the  smoke,  flames,  and 
sparks,  flew  up  among  the  broad  leaves  of  the  overhang- 
ing palm-trees,  and  cast  a  warm  glow  upon  our  leafy 
bower. 

That  night  the  starry  sky  looked  down  through  the 
gently  rustling  trees  upon  our  slumbers,  and  the  distant 
roaring  of  the  surf  upon  the  coral  reef  was  our  lullaby. 


THE   CORAL  tSLAND.  .30 


CHAPTER  V. 

MORNING,  AND  COGITATIONS  CONNECTED  THEREWITH  —  WE  LUX- 
URIATE IN  THE  SEA,  TRY  OUB  DIVING  POWERS,  AND  MAKE 
ENCHANTING    EXCURSIONS    AMONG    THE    CORAL     GROVES     AT 

THE   BOTTOM   OF    THE    OCEAN— THE   WONDERS    OF  THE    DEEP 
ENLARGED  UPON. 

WHAT  a  joyful  thing  it  is  to  awaken,  on  a  fresh 
glorious  morning,  and  find  the  rising  sun  staring 
into  your  face  with  dazzling  brilliancy!  —  to  see  the  birds 
twittering  in  the  bushes,  and  to  hear  the  murmuring  of  a 
rill,  or  the  soft  hissing  ripples  as  they  fall  upon  the  sea- 
shore !  At  any  time  and  in  any  place  such  sights  and 
sounds  are  most  charming,  but  more  especially  are  they 
so  when  one  awakens  to  them,  for  the  first  time,  in  a 
novel  and  romantic  situation,  with  the  soft  sweet  air  of  a 
tropical  climate  mingling  with  the  fresh  smell  of  the  sea, 
and  stirring  the  strange  leaves  that  flutter  overhead 
and  around  one,  or  ruffling  the  plumage  of  the  stranger 
birds  that  fly  inquiringly  around,  as  if  to  demand  what 
business  we  have  to  intrude  uninvited  on  their  domains.. 
When  I  awoke  on  the  morning  after  the  shipwreck,  I 
found  myself  in  this  most  delightful  condition  ;  and,  as  I 
lay  on  my  back  upon  my  bed  of  leaves,  gazing  up 
through  the  branches  of  the  cocoa-nut  trees  into  the  clear 
blue  sky,  and  watched  the  few  fleecy  clouds  that  passed 
slowly  across  it,  my  heart  expanded  more  and  more  with 
an  exulting  gladness,  the  like  of  which  I  had  never  felt 


40  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

before.  While  I  meditated,  my  thoughts  again  turned  to 
the  great  and  kind  Creator  of  this  beautiful  world,  as 
they  had  done  on  the  previous  day,  when  I  first  beheld 
the  sea  and  the  coral  reef,  with  the  mighty  waves  dashing 
*over  it  into  the  calm  waters  of  the  lagoon. 

"While  thus  meditating,  I  naturally  bethought  me  of 
my  Bible,  for  I  had  faithfully  kept  the  promise,  which  I 
gave  at  parting  to  my  beloved  mother,  that  I  would  read 
it  every  morning ;  and  it  was  with  a  feeling  of  dismay 
that  I  remembered  I  had  left  it  in  the  ship.  I  was  much 
troubled  about  this.  However,  I  consoled  myself  with 
reflecting  that  I  could  keep  the  second  part  of  my  prom- 
ise to  her,  namely,  that  I  should  never  omit  to  say  my 
prayers.  So  I  rose  quietly,  lest  I  should  disturb  my 
companions,  who  were  still  asleep,  and  stepped  aside  into 
the  bushes  for  this  purpose. 

On  my  return  I  found  them  still  slumbering,  so  I  again 
lay  down  to  think  over  our  situation.  Just  at  that  mo- 
ment I  was  attracted  by  the  sight  of  a  very  small  parrot, 
which  Jack  afterwards  told  me  was  called  a  paroquet. 
It  was  seated  on  a  twig  that  overhung  Peterkin's  head, 
and  I  was  speedily  lost  in  admiration  of  its  bright  green 
plumage,  which  wras  mingled  with  other  gay  colors. 
"While  I  looked  I  observed  that  the  bird  turned  its  head 
slowly  from  side  to  side  and  looked  downwards,  first  with 
the  one  eye,  and  then  with  the  other.  On  glancing 
downwards  I  observed  that  Peterkin's  mouth  was  wide 
open,  and  that  this  remarkable  bird  was  looking  into  it. 
Peterkin  used  to  say  that  I  had  not  an  atom  of  fun  in 
my  composition,  and  that  I  never  could  understand  a 
joke.  In  regard  to  the  latter,  perhaps  he  was  right ;  yet 
I  think  that,  when  they  were  explained  to  me,  I  under- 
stood jokes  as  well  as  most  people ;    but  in  regard  to  the 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  41 

former  lie  must  certainly  have  been  wrong,  for  this  bird 
seemed  to  me  to  be  extremely  funny;  and  I  could  not 
help  thinking  that,  if  it  should  happen  to  faint,  or  slip  its 
foot,  and  fall  off  the  twig  into  Peterkin's  mouth,  he  would 
perhaps  think  it  funny  too!  Suddenly  the  paroque(  bent 
down  its  head  and  uttered  a  loud  scream  in  his  face. 
This  awoke  him,  and,  with  a  cry  of  surprise,  he  started 
up,  while  the  foolish  bird  flew  precipitately  away. 

"  Oh  you  monster !  "  cried  Peterkin,  shaking  his  fist 
at  the  bird.  Then  he  yawned  and  rubbed  his  eyes,  and 
asked  what  o'clock  it  was. 

I  smiled  at  this  question,  and  answered  that,  as  our 
watches  were  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  I  could  not  tell, 
but  it  was  a  little  past  sunrise. 

Peterkin  now  began  to  remember  where  we  were.  As 
he  looked  up  into  the  bright  sky,  and  snuifed  the  scented 
air,  his  eyes  glistened  with  delight,  and  he  uttered  a  faint 
"hurrah!"  and  yawned  again.  Then  he  gazed  slowly 
round,  till,  observing  the  calm  sea  through  an  opening  in 
the  bushes,  he  started  suddenly  up  as  if  he  had  received 
an  electric  shock,  uttered  a  vehement  shout,  flung  off  his 
garments,  and  rushing  over  the  white  sands,  plunged  into 
the  water.  The  cry  awoke  Jack,  who  rose  on  his  elbow 
with  a  look  of  grave  surprise  ;  but  this  was  followed  by 
a  quiet  smile  of  intelligence  on  seeing  Peterkin  in  the 
water.  With  an  energy  that  he  only  gave  way  to  in  mo- 
ments of  excitement,  Jack  bounded  to  his  feet,  threw 
off  his  clothes,  shook  back  his  hair,  and,  with  a  lion- 
like spring,  dashed  over  the  sands  and  plunged  into  the 
sea  with  such  force  as  quite  to  envelop  Peterkin  in  a 
shower  of  spray.  Jack  was  a  remarkably  good  swimmer 
and  diver,  so  that  after  his  plunge  we  saw  no  sign  of 
him    for   nearly   a   minute ;    after    which    he    suddenly 


42  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

emerged,  with  a  cry  of  joy,  a  good  many  yards  out  from 
the  shore.  My  spirits  were  so  much  raised  by  seeing 
all  this  that  I,  too,  hastily  threw  off  my  garments  and 
endeavored  to  imitate  Jack's  vigorous  bound  ;  but  I  was 
so  awkward  that  my  foot  caught  on  a  stump,  and  I  fell  to 
the  ground  ;  then  I  slipped  on  a  stone  while  running  over 
the  sand,  and  nearly  fell  again,  much  to  the  amusement 
of  Peterkin,  who  laughed  heartily,  and  called  me  a  "  slow 
coach,"  while  Jack  cried  out,  "  Come  along,  Ralph,  and 
I'll  help  you."  However,  when  I  got  into  the  water  I 
managed  very  well,  for  I  was  really  a  good  swimmer, 
and  diver  too.  I  could  not,  indeed,  equal  Jack,  who  was 
superior  to  any  Englishman  I  ever  saw,  but  I  infinitely 
surpassed  Peterkin,  who  could  only  swim  a  little,  and 
could  not  dive  at  all. 

While  Peterkin  enjoyed  himself  in  the  shallow  water 
and  in  running  along  the  beach,  Jack  and  I  swam  out 
into  the  deep  water,  and  occasionally  dived  for  stones.  I 
shall  never  forget  my  surprise  and  delight  on  first  behold- 
ing the  bottom  of  the  sea.  As  I  have  before  stated,  the 
water  within  the  reef  was  as  calm  as  a  pond ;  and,  as 
there  was  no  wind,  it  was  quite  clear,  from  the  surface  to 
the  bottom,  so  that  we  could  see  down  easily  even  at  a 
depth  of  twenty  or  thirty  yards.  When  Jack  and  I 
dived  in  shallower  water,  we  expected  to  have  found 
sand  and  stones,  instead  of  which  we  found  ourselves  in 
what  appeared  really  to  be  an  enchanted  garden.  The 
whole  of  the  bottom  of  the  lagoon,  as  we  called  the  calm 
water  within  the  reef,  was  covered  with  coral  of  every 
shape,  size,  and  hue.  Some  portions  were  formed  like 
large  mushrooms  ;  others  appeared  like  the  brain  of  a 
man,  having  stalks  or  necks  attached  to  them ;  but  the 
most  common  kind  was  a  species  of  branching  coral,  and 


THE   CORAL    ISLAND.  40 

some  portions  were  of  a  lovely  pale  pink  color,  others 
pure  white.  Among  this  there  grew  large  quantities  of 
sea-weed  of  the  richest  hues  imaginable,  and  of  the  most 
graceful  forms  ;  while  innumerable  fishes  —  blue,  red,  yel- 
low, green,  and  striped  —  sported  in  and  out  amongst  the 
flower-beds  of  this  submarine  garden,  and  did  not  appear 
to  be  at  all  afraid  of  our  approaching  them. 

On  darting  to  the  surface  for  breath,  after  our  first 
dive,  Jack  and  I  rose  close  to  each  other. 

"  Did  you  ever  in  your  life,  Ralph,  see  anything  so 
lovely?"  said  Jack,  as  he  flung  the  spray  from  his  hair. 

"  Never,"  I  replied.  "  It  appears  to  me  like  fairy 
realms.  I  can  scarcely  believe  that  we  are  not  dream- 
ing." 

"Dreaming!"  cried  Jack,  "do  you  know,  Ralph,  I'm 
half  tempted  to  think  that  we  really  are  dreaming. 
But  if  so,  I  am  resolved  to  make  the  most  of  it,  and 
dream  another  dive;  so  here  goes, —  down  again,  my 
boy!" 

We  took  the  second  dive  together,  and  kept  beside  each 
other  while  under  water  ;  and  I  was  greatly  surprised  to 
find  that  we  could  keep  down  much  longer  than  I  ever 
recollect  having  done  in  our  own  seas  at  home.  I  be- 
lieve that  this  was  owing  to  the  heat  of  the  water,  which 
was  so  warm  that  we  afterwards  found  we  could  remain 
in  it  for  two  and  three  hours  at  a  time  without  feeling 
any  unpleasant  effects  such  as  we  used  to  experience  in 
the  sea  at  home.  When  Jack  reached  the  bottom,  he 
grasped  the  coral  stems,  and  crept  along  on  his  hands 
and  knees,  peeping  under  the  sea-weed  and  among  the 
rocks.  I  observed  him  also  pick  up  one  or  two  large 
oysters,  and  retain  them  in  his  grasp,  as  if  he  meant  to 
take  them  up  with  him,  so  I  also  gathered  a  few.     Sud- 


44  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

denly  lie  made  a  grasp  at  a  fish  with  blue  and  yellow 
stripes  on  its  back,  and  actually  touched  its  tail  but  did 
not  catch  it.  At  this  he  turned  towards  me  and  at- 
tempted to  smile;  but  no  sooner  had  he  done  so  than 
he  sprang  like  an  arrow  to  the  surface,  where,  on  fol- 
lowing him,  I  found  him  gasping  and  coughing,  and 
spitting  water  from  his  mouth.  In  a  few  minutes  he 
recovered,  and  we  both  turned  to  swim  ashore. 

"  I  declare,  Ralph,"  said  he,  "  that  I  actually  tried  to 
laugh  under  water." 

"  So  I  saw,"  I  replied  ;  "  and  I  observed  that  you  very 
nearly  caught  that  fish  by  the  tail.  It  would  have  done 
capitally  for  breakfast  if  you  had." 

"  Breakfast  enough  here,"  said  he,  holding  up  the  oys- 
ters, as  we  landed  and  ran  up  the  beach.  "  Hallo ! 
Peterkin,  here  you  are,  boy.  Split  open  these  fellows 
while  Ralph  and  I  put  on  our  clothes.  They'll  agree 
with  the  cocoa-nuts  excellently,  I  have  no  doubt." 

Peterkin,  who  was  already  dressed,  took  the  oysters, 
and  opened  them  with  the  edge  of  our  axe,  exclaim- 
ing, "  Now,  that  is  capital.  There's  nothing  I'm  so  fond 
of." 

"  Ah  !  that's  lucky,"  remarked  Jack.  "  I'll  be  able  to 
keep  you  in  good  order  now,  Master  Peterkin.  You 
know  you  can't  dive  any  better  than  a  cat.  So,  sir, 
whenever  you  behave  ill,  you  shall  have  no  oysters  for 
breakfast." 

"  I'm  very  glad  that  our  prospect  of  breakfast  is  so 
good,"  said  I,  "  for  I'm  very  hungry." 

"  Here,  then,  stop  your  mouth  with  that,  Ralph,"  said 
Peterkin,  holding  a  large  oyster  to  my  lips.  I  opened 
my  mouth  and  swallowed  it  in  silence,  and  really  it  was 
remarkably  good. 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  45 

We  now  set  ourselves  earnestly  about  our  preparations 

for  spending  the  day.  We  had  no  difficulty  with  the  fire 
this  morning,  as  our  burning-glass  was  an  admirable  one  ; 
and  while  we  roasted  a  few  oysters  and  ate  our  cocoa- 
nuts,  we  held  a  long,  animated  conversation  about  our 
plans  for  the  future.  "What  those  plans  were,  and  how 
we  carried  them  into  effect,  the  reader  shall  see  hereafter. 


46  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

AN  EXCURSION  INTO  THE  INTERIOR,  IN  WHICH  WE  MAKE 
MANY  VALUABLE  AND  INTERESTING  DISCOVERIES  —  WE  GET 
A  DREADFUL  FRIGHT  —  THE  BREAD-FRUIT  TREE  —  WONDERFUL 
PECULIARITY  OF  SOME  OF  THE  FRUIT  TREES  —  SIGNS  OF  FOR- 
MER   INHABITANTS. 

OUR  first  care,  after  breakfast,  was  to  place  the  few 
articles  we  possessed  in  the  crevice  of  a  rock  at  the 
farther  end  of  a  small  cave  which  we  discovered  near  our 
encampment.  This  cave,  we  hoped,  might  be  useful  to 
us  afterwards  as  a  storehouse.  Then  we  cut  two  large 
clubs  off  a  species  of  very  hard  tree  which  grew  near  at 
hand.  One  of  these  was  given  to  Peterkin,  the  other 
to  me,  and  Jack  armed  himself  with  the  axe.  We  took 
these  precautions  because  we  purposed  to  make  an  ex- 
cursion to  the  top  of  the  mountains  of  the  interior,  in 
order  to  obtain  a  better  view  of  our  island.  Of  course 
we  knew  not  what  dangers  might  befall  us  by  the  way,  so 
thought  it  best  to  be  prepared. 

Having  completed  our  arrangements  and  carefully  ex- 
tinguished our  fire,  we  sallied  forth  and  walked  a  short 
distance  along  the  sea-beach,  till  we  came  to  the  entrance 
of  a  valley,  through  which  flowed  the  rivulet  before 
mentioned.  Here  we  turned  our  backs  on  the  sea  and 
struck  into  the  interior. 

The  prospect  that  burst  upon  our  view  on  entering  the 
valley  was  truly  splendid.     On  either  side  of  us  there  was 


THE    CORAL  ISLAND.  17 

a  gentle  rise  in  the  land,  which  thus  formed  two  ridges 
about  a  mile  apart  on  each  side  of  the  valley.  These 
ridges,  —  which,  as  well  as  the  low  grounds  between 
them,  were  covered  with  trees  and  shrubs  of  the  most 
luxuriant  kind,  —  continued  to  recede  inland  for  about  two 
miles,  when  they  joined  the  foot  of  a  small  mountain. 
This  hill  rose  rather  abruptly  from  the  head  of  the  val- 
ley, and  was  likewise  entirely  covered  even  to  the  top 
with  trees,  except  on  one  particular  spot  near  the  left 
shoulder,  where  was  a  bare  and  rocky  place  of  a  broken 
and  savage  character.  Beyond  this  hill  we  could  not  see, 
and  we  therefore  directed  our  course  up  the  banks  of  the 
rivulet  towards  the  foot  of  it,  intending  to  climb  to  the 
top,  should  that  be  possible,  as,  indeed,  we  had  no  doubt 
it  was. 

Jack,  being  the  wisest  and  boldest  among  us,  took  the 
lead,  carrying  the  axe  on  his  shoulder.  Peterkin,  with 
his  enormous  club,  came  second,  as  he  said  he  should  like 
to  be  in  a  position  to  defend  me  if  any  danger  should 
threaten.  I  brought  up  the  rear,  but,  having  been  more 
taken  up  with  the  wonderful  and  curious  things  I  saw  at 
starting  than  with  thoughts  of  possible  danger,  I  had 
very  foolishly  left  my  club  behind  me.  Although,  as  I 
have  said,  the  trees  and  bushes  were  very  luxuriant, 
they  were  not  ^o  thickly  crowded  together  as  to  hinder 
our  progress  among  them.  AVe  were  able  to  wind  in  and 
out,  and  to  follow  the  banks  of  the  stream  quite  easily, 
although,  it  is  true,  the  height  and  thickness  of  the  foliage 
prevented  us  from  seeing  far  ahead.  But  sometimes  a 
jutting-out  rock  on  the  hill-side  afforded  us  a  position 
whence  we  could  enjoy  the  romantic  view  and  mark 
our  progress  towards  the  foot  of  the  hill.  I  was  par- 
ticularly struck,  during    the    walk,  with   the   richness   of 


48  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

the  undergrowth  in  most  places,  and  recognized  many- 
berries  and  plants  that  resembled  those  of  my  native 
land,  especially  a  tall,  elegantly  formed  fern,  which 
emitted  an  agreeable  perfume.  There  were  several 
kinds  of  flowers,  too,  but  I  did  not  see  so  many  of  these 
as  I  should  have  expected  in  such  a  climate.  We  also 
saw  a  great  variety  of  small  birds  of  bright  plumage,  and 
many  paroquets  similar  to  the  one  that  awoke  Peterkin 
so  rudely  in  the  morning. 

Thus  we  advanced  to  the  foot  of  the  hill  without  en- 
countering anything  to  alarm  us,  except,  indeed,  once, 
when  we  were  passing  close  under  a  part  of  the  hill 
which  was  hidden  from  our  view  by  the  broad  leaves  of 
the  banana  trees,  which  grew  in  great  luxuriance  in  that 
part.  Jack  was  just  preparing  to  force  his  way  through 
this  thicket,  when  we  were  startled  and  arrested  by  a 
strange  pattering  or  rumbling  sound,  which  appeared  to 
us  quite  different  from  any  of  the  sounds  we  had  heard 
during  the  previous  part  of  our  walk. 

"  Hallo  ! "  cried  Peterkin,  stopping  short  and  grasping 
his  club  with  both  hands,  "  what's  that  ?  " 

Neither  of  us  replied ;  but  Jack  seized  his  axe  in  his 
right  hand,  while  with  the  other  he  pushed  aside  the 
broad  leaves  and  endeavored  to  peer  amongst  them. 

"  I  can  see  nothing,"  he  said,  after  a  short  pause.  "  I 
think  it  —  " 

Again  the  rumbling  sound  came,  louder  than  before, 
and  we  all  sprang  back  and  stood  on  the  defensive.  For 
myself,  having  forgotten  my  club,  and  not  having  taken 
the  precaution  to  cut  another,  I  buttoned  my  jacket, 
doubled  my  fists,  and  threw  myself  into  a  boxing  atti- 
tude. I  must  say,  however,  that  I  felt  somewhat  un- 
easy ;    and   my   companions   afterwards   confessed   that 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  49 

their  thoughts  at  this  moment  had  been  instantly  filled 
with  all  they  had  ever  heard  or  read  of  wild  beasts  and 
savages,  torturings  at  the  stake,  roastings  alive,  and  such 
like  horrible  things.  Suddenly  the  pattering  noise  in- 
creased with  tenfold  violence.  It  was  followed  by  a  fear- 
ful crash  among  the  bushes,  which  was  rapidly  repeated 
as  if  some  gigantic  animal  were  bounding  towards  us. 
In  another  moment  an  enormous  rock  came  crashing 
through  the  shrubbery,  followed  by  a  cloud  of  dust  and 
small  stones,  and  flew  close  past  the  spot  where  we  stood, 
carrying  bushes  and  young  trees  along  with  it. 

"  Pooh !  is  that  all  ?  "  exclaimed  Peterkin,  wiping  the 
perspiration  off  his  forehead.  "  Why,  I  thought  it  was 
all  the  wild  men  and  beasts  in  the  South  Sea  Islands 
galloping  on  in  one  grand  charge  to  sweep  us  off  the  face 
of  the  earth,  instead  of  a  mere  stone  tumbling  down  the 
mountain  side." 

"  Nevertheless,"  remarked  Jack,  "  if  that  same  stone 
bad  hit  any  of  us,  it  would  have  rendered  the  charge 
you  speak  of  quite  unnecessary,  Peterkin." 

This  was  true,  and  I  felt  very  thankful  for  our  escape . 
On  examining  the  spot  more  narrowly,  we  found  that  it 
lay  close  to  the  foot  of  a  very  rugged  precipice,  from 
which  stones  of  various  sizes  were  always  tumbling  at 
intervals.  Indeed,  the  numerous  fragments  lying  scat- 
tered all  around  might  have  suggested  the  cause  of  the 
sound,  had  we  not  been  too  suddenly  alarmed  to  think  of 
anything. 

We  now  resumed  our  journey,  resolving  that,  in  our 
future  excursions  into  the  interior,  we'would  be  careful 
to  avoid  this  dangerous  precipice. 

Soon  afterwards  we  arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  and 
prepared  to  ascend  it.     Here  Jack  made  a  discoverv 

4 


50  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

which  caused  us  all  very  great  joy.  This  was  a  tree  of 
a  remarkably  beautiful  appearance,  which  Jack  confi- 
dently declared  to  be  the  celebrated  bread-fruit  tree. 

11  Is  it  celebrated  ?  "  inquired  Peterkin,  with  a  look  of 
great  simplicity. 

"  It  is,"  replied  Jack. 

"  That's  odd,  now,"  rejoined  Peterkin ;  "  I  never 
heard  of  it  before." 

"  Then  it's  not  so  celebrated  as  I  thought  it  was,"  re- 
turned Jack,  quietly  squeezing  Peterkin's  hat  over  his 
eyes ;  "  but  listen,  you  ignorant  booby,  and  hear  of  it 
now!" 

Peterkin  readjusted  his  hat,  and  was  soon  listening 
with  as  much  interest  as  myself,  while  Jack  told  us  that 
this  tree  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  in  the  islands  of  the 
south ;  that  it  bears  two,  sometimes  three,  crops  of  fruit 
in  the  year ;  that  the  fruit  is  very  like  wheaten  bread  in 
appearance,  and  that  it  constitutes  the  principal  food  of 
many  of  the  islanders. 

"  So,"  said  Peterkin,  "  we  seem  to  have  everything 
ready  prepared  to  our  hands  in  this  wonderful  island  — 
lemonade  ready  bottled  in  nuts,  and  loaf-bread  growing 
on  the  trees  ! " 

Peterkin,  as  usual,  was  jesting ;  nevertheless,  it  is  a 
curious  fact  that  he  spoke  almost  the  literal  truth. 

"  Moreover,"  continued  Jack,  "  the  bread-fruit  tree  af- 
fords a  capital  gum,  which  serves  the  natives  fo*r  pitching 
their  canoes  ;  the  bark  of  the  young  branches  is  made 
by  them  into  cloth  ;  and  of  the  wood,  which  is  durable 
and  of  a  good  color,  they  build  their  houses.  So  you 
see,  lads,  that  we  have  no  lack  of  material  here  to  make 
us  comfortable,  if  we  are  only  clever  enough  to  use  it." 

"  But  are  you  sure  that  that's  it  ?  "  asked  Peterkin. 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  51 

"  Quite  sure,"  replied  Jack ;  "  for  I  was  particularly 
interested  in  the  account  I  once  read  of  it,  and  I  remem- 
ber the  description  well.  I  am  sorry,  however3  that  I 
have  forgotten  the  descriptions  of  many  other  trees 
which  I  am  sure  we  have  seen  to-day,  if  we  could  but 
recognize  them.  So  you  see,  Peterkin,  I'm  not  up  to 
everything  yet." 

"  Never  mind,  Jack,"  said  Peterkin,  with  a  grave, 
patronizing  expression  of  countenance,  patting  his  tall 
companion  on  the  shoulder,  —  "  never  mind,  Jack  ;  you 
know  a  good  deal  for  your  age.  You're  a  clever  boy, 
sir,  —  a  promising  young  man  ;  and  if  you  only  go  on  as 
you  have  begun,  sir,  you  will  — " 

The  end  of  this  speech  was  suddenly  cut  short  by 
Jack  tripping  up  Peterkin's  heels  and  tumbling  him  into 
a  mass  of  thick  shrubs,  where,  finding  himself  comforta- 
ble, he  lay  still,  basking  in  the  sunshine,  wliile  Jack  and 
I  examined  the  bread-fruit  tree. 

AYe  were  much  struck  with  the  deep,  rich  green  color 
of  its  broad  leaves,  which  were  twelve  or  eighteen  inches 
long,  deeply  indented,  and  of  a  glossy  smoothness,  like 
the  laurel.  The  fruit,  with  which  it  was  loaded,  was 
nearly  round,  and  appeared  to  be  about  six  inches  in  di- 
ameter, with  a  rough  rind,  marked  with  lozenge-shaped 
divisions.  It  was  of  various  colors,  from  light  pea-green 
to  brown  and  rich  yellow.  Jack  said  that  the  yellow 
was  the  ripe  fruit.  AYe  afterwards  found  that  most  of 
the  fruit-trees  on  the  island  were  evergreens,  and  that 
we  might,  when  we  wished,  pluck  the  blossom  and  the 
ripe  fruit  from  the  same  tree.  Such  a  wonderful  differ- 
ence from  the  trees  of  our  own  country  surprised  us  not 
a  little.  The  bark  of  the  tree  was  rough  and  light  col- 
ored ;  the  trunk  was  about  two  feet  in  diameter,  and  it 


52  THE  COEAL  ISLAND. 

appeared  to  be  twenty  feet  high,  being  quite  destitute  of 
branches  up  to  that  height,  where  it  branched  off  into  a 
beautiful  and  umbrageous  head.  We  noticed  that  the 
fruit  hung  in  clusters  of  twos  and  threes  on  the  branches  ; 
but  as  we  were  anxious  to  get  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  we 
refrained  from  attempting  to  pluck  any  at  that  time. 

Our  hearts  were  now  very  much  cheered  by  our  good 
fortune,  and  it  was  with  light  and  active  steps  that  we 
clambered  up  the  steep  sides  of  the  hill.  On  reaching 
the  summit,  a  new,  and  if  possible,  a  grander  prospect  met 
our  gaze.  We  found  that  this  was  not  the  highest  part 
of  the  island,  but  that  another  hill  lay  beyond,  with  a 
wide  valley  between  it  and  the  one  on  which  we  stood. 
This  valley,  like  the  first,  was  also  full  of  rich  trees, 
some  dark  and  some  light  green,  some  heavy  and  thick 
in  foliage,  and  others  light,  feathery,  and  graceful,  while 
the  beautiful  blossoms  on  many  of  them  threw  a  sort  of 
rainbow  tint  over  all,  and  gave  to  the  valley  the  appear- 
ance of  a  garden  of  flowers.  Among  these  we  recog- 
nized many  of  the  bread-fruit  trees,  laden  with  yellow 
fruit,  and  also  a  great  many  cocoa-nut  palms.  After 
gazing  our  fill  we  pushed  down  the  hill-side,  crossed  the 
valley,  and  soon  began  to  ascend  the  second  mountain. 
It  was  clothed  with  trees  nearly  to  the  top,  but  the  sum- 
mit was  bare,  and  in  some  places  broken. 

While  on  our  way  up  we  came  to  an  object  which 
filled  us  with  much  interest.  This  was  the  stump  of  a 
tree  that  had  evidently  been  cut  down  with  an  axe  !  So, 
then,  we  were  not  the  first  who  had  viewed  this  beauti- 
ful isle.  The  hand  of  man  had  been  at  work  there  be- 
fore us.  It  now  began  to  recur  to  us  again  that  perhaps 
the  island  was  inhabited,  although  we  had  not  seen  any 
traces  of  man  until  now ;  but  a  second  glance  at  the 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  53 

stump  convinced  us  that  we  had  not  more  reason  to  think 
so  now  than  formerly ;  for  the  surface  of  the  wood  was 
quite  decayed,  and  partly  covered  with  fungus  and  green 
matter,  so  that  it  must  have  been  cut  many  years  ago. 

"  Perhaps,"  said  Peterkin,  "  some  ship  or  other  has 
touched  here  long  ago  for  wood,  and  only  taken  one  tree." 

"We  did  not  think  this  likely,  however,  because,  in 
such  circumstances,  the  crew  of  a  ship  would  cut  wood 
of  small  size,  and  near  the  shore,  whereas  this  was  a 
large  tree  and  stood  near  the  top  of  the  mountain.  In 
fact  it  was  the  highest  large  tree  on  the  mountain,  all 
above  it  being  wood  of  very  recent  growth. 

"  I  can't  understand  it,"  said  Jack,  scratching  the  sur- 
face of  the  stump  with  his  axe.  "  I  can  only  suppose 
that  the  savages  have  been  here  and  cut  it  for  some 
purpose  known  only  to  themselves.  But.  hallo !  what 
have  we  here  ?  " 

As  he  spoke,  Jack  began  carefully  to  scrape  away  the 
moss  and  fungus  from  the  stump,  and  soon  laid  bare 
three  distinct  traces  of  marks,  as  if  some  inscription  or 
initials  had  been  cut  thereon.  But  although  the  traces 
were  distinct,  beyond  all  doubt,  the  exact  form  of  the 
letters  could  not  be  made  out.  Jack  thought  they  looked 
like  J.  S.  but  we  could  not  be  certain.  They  had  ap- 
parently been  carelessly  cut,  and  long  exposure  to  the 
weather  had  so  broken  them  up  that  we  could  not  make 
out  what  they  were.  We  were  exceedingly  perplexed 
at  this  discovery,  and  stayed  a  long  time  at  the  place 
conjecturing  what  these  marks  could  have  been,  but 
without  avail ;  so,  as  the  day  was  advancing,  we  left  it 
and  quickly  reached  the  top  of  the  mountain. 

We  found  this  to  be  the  highest  point  of  the  island, 
and  from  it  we  saw  our  kingdom  lying,  as  it  were,  like  a 


54  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

map  around  us.  As  I  have  always  thought  it  impossible 
to  get  a  thing  properly  into  one's  understanding  without 
comprehending  it,  I  shall  beg  the  reader's  patience  for  a 
little  while  I  describe  our  island,  thus,  shortly :  — 

It  consisted  of  two  mountains  :  the  one  we  guessed  at 
500  feet ;  the  other,  on  which  we  stood,  at  1000.  Be- 
tween these  lay  a  rich,  beautiful  valley,  as  already  said. 
This  valley  crossed  the  island  from  one  end  to  the  other, 
being  high  in  the  middle  and  sloping  on  each  side  towards 
the  sea.  The  large  mountain  sloped,  on  the  side  farthest 
from  where  we  had  been  wrecked,  gradually  towards  the 
sea  ;  but  although,  when  viewed  at  a  glance,  it  had  thus 
a  regular  sloping  appearance,  a  more  careful  observation 
showed  that  it  was  broken  up  into  a  multitude  of  very 
small  vales,  or  rather  dells  and  glens,  intermingled  with 
little  rugged  spots  and  small  but  abrupt  precipices  here 
and  there,  with  rivulets  tumbling  over  their  edges  and 
wandering  down  the  slopes  in  little  white  streams,  some- 
times glistening  among  the  broad  leaves  of  the  bread-fruit 
and  cocoa-nut  trees,  or  hiding  altogether  beneath  the  rich 
underwood.  At  the  base  of  this  mountain  lay  a  narrow 
bright  green  plain  or  meadow,  which  terminated  abruptly 
at  the  shore.  On  the  other  side  of  the  island,  whence 
we  had  come,  stood  the  smaller  hill,  at  the  foot  of  which 
diverged  three  valleys  ;  one  being  that  which  we  had 
ascended,  with  a  smaller  vale  on  each  side  of  it,  and 
separated  from  it  by  the  two  ridges  before  mentioned. 
In  these  smaller  valleys  there  were  no  streams,  but  they 
were  clothed  with  the  same  luxuriant  vegetation. 

The  diameter  of  the  island  seemed  to  be  about  ten 
miles,  and,  as  it  was  almost  circular  in  form,  its  circum- 
ference must  have  been  thirty  miles ;  —  perhaps  a  little 
more,  if  allowance  be  made  for  the  numerous  bays  and 


THE   CORAL   ISLAND.  55 

indentations  of  the  shore.  The  entire  island  was  belted 
by  a  beach  of  pure  white  sand,  on  which  laved  the 
gentle  ripples  of  the  lagoon.  We  now  also  observed 
thai  the  coral  reef  completely  encircled  the  island ;  but 
it  varied  its  distance  from  it  here  and  there,  in  some 
places  being  a  mile  from  the  beach,  in  others,  a  few 
hundred  yards,  but  the  average  distance  was  half  a  mile. 
The  reef  lay  very  low,  and  the  spray  of  the  surf  broke 
quite  over  it  in  many  places.  This  surf  never  ceased 
its  roar,  for,  however  calm  the  weather  might  be,  there 
is  always  a  gentle  swaying  motion  in  the  great  Pacific, 
which,  although  scarce  noticeable  out  at  se&,  reaches  the 
shore  at  last  in  a  huge  billow.  The  water  within  the  la- 
goon, as  before  said,  was  perfectly  still.  There  were  three 
narrow  openings  in  the  reef:  one  opposite  each  end  of 
the  valley  which  I  have  described  as  crossing  the  island ; 
the  other  opposite  our  own  valley,  which  wt3  afterwards 
named  the  Valley  of  the  Wreck.  At  each  of  these  open- 
ings the  reef  rose  into  two  small  green  islets,  covered 
with  bushes  and  having  one  or  two  cocoa-nut  palms  on 
each.  These  islets  were  very  singular,  and  appeared  as 
if  planted  expressly  for  the  purpose  of  marking  the  chan- 
nel into  the  lagoon.  Our  captain  was  making  for  one  of 
these  openings  the  day  we  were  wrecked,  and  would 
have  reached  it  too,  I  doubt  not,  had  not  the  rudder  been 
torn  away.  Within  the  lagoon  were  several  pretty,  low 
coral  islands,  just  opposite  our  encampment ;  and,  im- 
mediately beyond  these,  out  at  sea,  lay  about  a  dozen 
other  islands,  at  various  distances,  from  half  a  mile  to 
ten  miles ;  all  of  them,  as  far  as  we  could  discern, 
smaller  than  ours  and  apparently  uninhabited.  They 
seemed  to  be  low  coral  islands,  raised  but  little  above 
the  sea,  yet  covered  with  cocoa-nut  trees. 


56  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

All  this  we  noted,  and  a  great  deal  more,  while  we 
sat  on  the  top  of  the  mountain.  After  we  had  satisfied 
ourselves  we  prepared  to  return ;  but  here  again  we 
discovered  traces  of  the  presence  of  man.  These  were 
a  pole  or  staff  and  one  or  two  pieces  of  wood  which  had 
been  squared  with  an  axe.  All  of  these  were,  however, 
very  much  decayed,  and  they  had  evidently  not  been 
touched  for  many  years. 

Full  of  these  discoveries  we  returned  to  our  encamp- 
ment. On  the  way  we  fell  in  with  the  traces  of  some 
four-footed  animal,  but  whether  old  or  of  recent  date 
none  of  us  were  able  to  guess.  This  also  tended  to  raise 
our  hopes  of  obtaining  some  animal  food  on  the  island, 
so  we  reached  home  in  good  spirits,  quite  prepared  for 
supper,  and  highly  satisfied  with  our  excursion. 

After  much  discussion,  in  which  Peterkin  took  the 
lead,  we  canfe  to  the  conclusion  that  the  island  was  un- 
inhabited, and  went  to  bed. 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  57 


CHAPTER  VLL 

JACK;S  INGENUITY  —  WE  GET  INTO  DIFFICULTIES  ABOUT  FISHING, 
AND  GET  OUT  OF  THEM  BY  A  METHOD  WHICH  GIYES  US  A 
COLD  BATH  —  HORRIBLE   ENCOUNTER  WITH  A  SHARK. 


FOR  several  days  after  the  excursion  related  in  the 
last  chapter  we  did  not  wander  far  from  our  en- 
campment, but  gave  ourselves  up  to  forming  plans  for  the 
future  and  making  our  present  abode  comfortable. 

There  were  various  causes  that  induced  this  state  of 
comparative  inaction.  In  the  first  place,  although  every- 
thing around  us  was  so  delightful,  and  we  could  without 
difficulty  obtain  all  that  we  required  for  our  bodily  com- 
fort, we  did  not  quite  like  the  idea  of  settling  down  here 
for  the  rest  of  our  lives,  far  away  from  our  friends  and 
our  native  land.  To  set  energetically  about  preparations 
for  a  permanent  residence  seemed  so  like  making  up  our 
minds  to  saying  adieu  to  home  and  friends  forever,  that 
we  tacitly  shrank  from  it  and  put  off  our  preparations, 
for  one  reason  and  another,  as  long  as  we  could.  Then 
there  was  a  little  uncertainty  still  as  to  there  being  na- 
tives on  the  island,  and  we  entertained  a  kind  of  faint 
hope  that  a  ship  might  come  and  take  us  off.  But  as 
day  after  day  passed,  and  neither  savages  nor  ships  ap- 
peared, we  gave  up  all  hope  of  an  early  deliverance  and 
set  diligently  to  work  at  our  homestead. 

During  this  time,  however,  we  had  not  been  altogether 
idle.  We  made  several  experiments  in  cooking  the  cocoa- 
nut,  most  of  which  did  not  improve  it.     Then  we   re- 


58  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

moved  our  goods,  and  took  up  our  abode  in  the  cave, 
but  found  the  change  so  bad  that  we  returned  gladly  to 
the  bower.  Besides  this,  we  bathed  very  frequently,  and 
talked  a  great  deal ;  at  least  Jack  and  Peterkin  did,  — 
I  listened.  Among  other  useful  things,  Jack,  who  was 
ever  the  most  active  and  diligent,  converted  about  three 
inches  of  the  hoop-iron  into  an  excellent  knife.  First  he 
beat  it  quite  flat  with  the  axe.  Then  he  made  a  rude 
handle,  and  tied  the  hoop-iron  to  it  with  our  piece  of 
wThipcord,  and  ground  it  to  an  edge  on  a  piece  of  sand- 
stone. When  it  was  finished  he  used  it  to  shape  a  better 
handle,  to  which  he  fixed  it  with  a  strip  of  his  cotton 
handkerchief;  —  in  which  operation  he  had,  as  Peterkin 
pointed  out,  torn  off  one  of  Lord  Nelson's  noses.  How- 
ever, the  whipcord,  thus  set  free,  was  used  by  Peterkin 
as  a  fishing  line.  He  merely  tied  a  piece  of  oyster  to 
the  end  of  it.  This  the  fish  were  allowed  to  swallow, 
and  then  they  were  pulled  quickly  ashore.  But  as  the 
line  was  very  short  and  we  had  no  boat,  the  fish  we  caught 
were  exceedingly  small. 

One  day  Peterkin  came  up  from  the  beach,  where  he 
had  been  angling,  and  said  in  a  very  cross  tone,  "  I'll  tell 
you  what,  Jack,  I'm  not  going  to  be  humbugged  with 
catching  such  contemptible  things  any  longer.  I  want 
you  to  swim  out  with  me  on  your  back,  and  let  me  fish 
in  deep  water  !  " 

"  Dear  me,  Peterkin,"  replied  Jack,  "  I  had  no  idea 
you  were  taking  the  .thing  so  much  to  heart,  else  I  would 
have  got  you  out  of  that  difficulty  long  ago.  Let  me 
see,"  —  and  Jack  looked  down  at  a  piece  of  timber  on 
which  he  had  been  laboring,  with  a  peculiar  gaze  of 
abstraction,  which  he  always  assumed  when  trying  to  in- 
vent or  discover  anything. 


THE  OOBAL  ISLAND.  50 

*w  What  say  you  to  building  a  boat?"  he  inquired,  look- 
ing up  hastily. 

"  Take  far  too  long,"  was  the  reply  ;  "  can't  be  both- 
ered waiting.     I  want  to  begin  at  once  !  " 

Again  Jack  considered.  "  I  have  it ! "  he  cried. 
"  We'll  fell  a  large  tree  and  launch  the  trunk  of  it  in 
the  water,  so  that  when  you  want  to  fish  you've  nothing 
to  do  but  to  swim  out  to  it." 

"  Would  not  a  small  raft  do  better  ?  "  said  I. 

"  Much  better ;  but  we  have  no  ropes  to  bind  it  to- 
gether with.  Perhaps  we  may  find  something  hereafter 
that  will  do  as  well,  but,  in  the  mean  time,  let  us  try  the 
tree." 

This  was  agreed  on,  so  we  started  off  to  a  spot  not  far 
distant,  where  we  knew  of  a  tree  that  would  suit  us, 
which  grew  near  the  water's  edge.  As  soon  as  we  reached 
it  Jack  threw  off  his  coat,  and,  wielding  the  axe  with  his 
sturdy  arms,  hacked  and  hewed  at  it  for  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  without  stopping.  Then  he  paused,  and,  while  he 
sat  down  to  rest,  I  continued  the  work.  Then  Peterkin 
made  a  vigorous  attack  on  it,  so  that  when  Jack  renewed 
his  -powerful  blows,  a  few  minutes  cutting  brought  it 
down  with  a  terrible  crash. 

"  Hurrah  !  now  for  it,"  cried  Jack ;  "  let  us  off  with  its 
head." 

So  saying  he  began  to  cut  through  the  stem  again,  at 
about  six  yards  from  the  thick  end.  This  done,  he  cut 
three  strong,  short  poles  or  levers  from  the  stout  branches, 
with  which  to  roll  the  log  down  the  beach  into  the  sea  ; 
for,  as  it  was  nearly  two  feet  thick  at  the  large  end,  we 
could  not  move  it  without  such  helps.  With  the  levers, 
however,  we  rolled  it  slowly  into  the  sea. 

Having  been  thus  successful  in  launching  our  vessel, 


60  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

we  next  shaped  the  levers  into  rude  oars  or  paddles,  and 
then  attempted  to  embark.  This  was  easy  enough  to  do  ; 
but,  after  seating  ourselves  astride  the  log,  it  was  with 
the  utmost  difficulty  we  kept  it  from  rolling  round  and 
plunging  us  into  the  water.  Not  that  we  minded  that 
much ;  but  we  preferred,  if  possible,  to  fish  in  dry  clothes. 
To  be  sure,  our  trousers  were  necessarily  wet,  as  our 
legs  were  dangling  in  the  water  on  each  side  of  the  log ; 
but,  as  they  could  be  easily  dried,  we  did  not  care.  After 
half  an  hour's  practice,  we  became  expert  enough  to  keep 
our  balance  pretty  steadily.  Then  Peterkin  laid  down 
his  paddle,  and  having  baited  his  line  with  a  whole  oys- 
ter, dropt  it  into  deep  water. 

"  Now,  then,  Jack,"  said  he,  "  be  cautious  ;  steer  clear 
o'  that  sea-weed.  There  ;  that's  it ;  gently,  now  gently. 
I  see  a  fellow  at  least  a  foot  long  down  there,  coming  to 
—  ha !  that's  it !     Oh  !  bother,  he's  off." 

"  Did  he  bite  ?  "  said  Jack,  urging  the  log  onwards  a 
little  with  his  paddle. 

"  Bite  ?  ay !  He  took  it  into  his  mouth,  but  the  mo- 
ment I  began  to  haul  he  opened  his  jaws  and  let  it  out 
again." 

"  Let  him  swallow  it  next  time,"  said  Jack,  laughing 
at  the  melancholy  expression  of  Peterkin's  visage. 

"  There  he's  again,"  cried  Peterkin,  his  eyes  flashing 
with  excitement.  "  Look  out !  Now  then  !  No  !  Yes  ! 
No !     Why,  the  brute  ivon't  swallow  it ! " 

"  Try  to  haul  him  up  by  the  mouth,  then,"  cried  Jack. 
"  Do  it  gently." 

A  heavy  sigh  and  a  blank  look  of  despair  showed  that 
poor  Peterkin  had  tried  and  failed  again. 

"  Never  mind,  lad,"  said  Jack,  in  a  voice  of  sympathy ; 
"  we'll  move  on,  and  offer  it  to  some  other  fish."    So  say- 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  61 

ing,  Jack  plied  his  paddle  ;  but  scarcely  had  he  moved 
from  the  spot,  when  a  fish  with  an  enormous  head  and  a 
little  body  darted  from  under  a  rock  and  swallowed  the 
bait  at  once. 

"  Got  him  this  time,  —  that's  a  fact!"  cried  Peterkin, 
hauling  in  the  line.  "  He's  swallowed  the  bait  right 
down  to  his  tail,  I  declare.     Oh  what  a  thumper  ! " 

As  the  fish  came  struggling  to  the  surface,  we  leaned 
forward  to  see  it,  and  overbalanced  the  log.  Peterkin 
threw  his  arms  round  the  fish's  neck ;  and,  in  another  in- 
stant, we  were  all  floundering  in  the  water  ! 

A  shout  of  laughter  burst  from  us  as  we  rose  to  the 
surface  like  three  drowned  rats,  and  seized  hold  of  the 
log.  "We  soon  recovered  our  position,  and  sat  more 
warily,  while  Peterkin  secured  the  fish,  which  had  well- 
nigh  escaped  in  the  midst  of  our  struggles.  "It  SPaa  little 
worth  having,  however ;  but  as  Peterkin  remarked,  it 
was  better  than  the  smouts  he  had  been  catching  for  the 
last  two  or  three  days ;  so  we  laid  it  on  the  log  before  us, 
and  having  rebaited  the  line,  dropt  it  in  again  for  another. 

Now,  while  we  were  thus  intent  upon  our  sport,  our 
attention  was  suddenly  attracted  by  a  ripple  on  the  sea, 
just  a  few  yards  away  from  us.  Peterkin  shouted  to  us 
to  paddle  in  that  direction,  as  he  thought  it  was  a  big 
fish,  and  we  might  have  a  chance  of  catching  it.  But 
Jack,  instead  of  complying,  said  in  a  deep,  earnest  tone 
of  voice,  which  I  never  before  heard  him  use,  — 

"  Haul  up  your  line,  Peterkin ;  seize  your  paddle  ; 
quick,  —  it's  a  shark ! " 

The  horror  with  which  we  heard  this  may  well  be  im- 
agined, for  it  must  be  remembered  that  our  legs  were 
hanging  down  in  the  water,  and  we  could  not  venture  to 
pull  them  up  without  upsetting  the  log.     Peterkin  in- 


62  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

stantly  hauled  up  the  line ;  and,  grasping  his  paddle,  ex- 
erted himself  to  the  utmost,  while  we  also  did  our  best 
to  make  for  shore.  But  we  were  a  good  way  off,  and 
the  log  being,  as  I  have  before  said,  very  heavy,  moved 
but  slowly  through  the  water.  We  now  saw  the  shark 
quite  distinctly  swimming  round  and  round  us,  its  sharp 
fin  every  now  and  then  protruding  above  the  water. 
From  its  active  and  unsteady  motions,  Jack  knew  it  was 
making  up  its  mind  to  attack  us,  so  he  urged  us  vehe- 
mently to  paddle  for  our  lives,  while  he  himself  set  us 
the  example.  Suddenly  he  shouted  "  Look  out !  — there 
he  comes ! "  and  in  a  second  we  saw  the  monstrous  fish 
dive  close  under  us,  and  turn  half  over  on  his  side.  But 
we  all  made  a  great  commotion  with  our  paddles,  which 
no  doubt  frightened  it  away  for  that  time,  as  we  saw  it 
immediately  after  circling  round  us  as  before. 

"  Throw  the  fish  to  him,"  cried  Jack,  in  a  quick,  sup- 
pressed voice  ;  "  we'll  make  the  shore  in  time  yet  if  we 
can  keep  him  off  for  a  few  minutes." 

Peterkin  stopped  one  instant  to  obey  the  command, 
and  then  plied  his  paddle  again  with  all  his  might.  No 
sooner  had  the  fish  fallen  on  the  water  than  we  ob- 
served the  shark  to  sink.  In  another  second  we  saw 
its  white  breast  rising  ;  for  sharks  always  turn  over  on 
their  sides  when  about  to  seize  their  prey,  their  mouths 
being  not  at  the  point  of  their  heads,  like  those  of  other 
fish,  but,  as  it  were,  under  their  chins.  In  another  mo- 
ment his  snout  rose  above  the  water, — his  wide  jaws, 
armed  with  a  terrific  double  row  of  teeth,  appeared. 
The  dead  fish  was  engulfed,  and  the  shark  sank  out  of 
sight.  But  Jack  was  mistaken  in  supposing  that  it  would 
be  satisfied.  In  a  very  few  minutes  it  returned  to  us, 
and  its  quick  motions  led  us  to  fear  that  it  would  attack 
us  at  once. 


TKRRTBLE  ENCOUNTER    WITH    A   SHARK  P 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  G3 

"Stop  paddling,"  cried  Jack  suddenly.  "I  Bee  it 
coming  up  behind  us.  Now,  obey  my  orders  quickly. 
Our  lives  may  depend  on  it.  Ralph,  Peterkin,  do  your 
best  to  balance  the  log.  Don't  look  out  for  the  shark. 
Don't  glance  behind  you.  Do  nothing  but  balance  the 
log." 

Peterkin  and  I  instantly  did  as  we  were  ordered,  be- 
ing only  too  glad  to  do  anything  that  afforded  us  a  chance 
or  a  hope  of  escape,  for  we  had  implicit  confidence  in 
Jack's  courage  and  wisdom.  For  a  few  seconds,  that 
seemed  long  minutes  to  my  mind,  we  sat  thus  silently ; 
but  I  could  not  resist  glancing  backward,  despite  the 
orders  to  the  contrary.  On  doing  so,  I  saw  Jack  sitting 
rigid  like  a  statue,  with  his  paddle  raised,  his  lips  com- 
pressed, and  his  eyebrows  bent  over  his  eyes,  which 
glared  savagely  from  beneath  them  down  into  the  water. 
I  also  saw  the  shark,  to  my  horror,  quite  close  under  the 
log,  in  the  act  of  darting  toward's  Jack's  foot.  I  could 
scarce  suppress  a  cry  on  beholding  this.  In  another  mo- 
ment the  shark  rose.  Jack  drew  his  leg  suddenly  from 
the  water,  and  threw  it  over  the  log.  The  monster's 
snout  rubbed  against  the  log  as  it  passed,  and  revealed 
its  hideous  jaws,  into  which  Jack  instantly  plunged  the 
paddle,  and  thrust  it  down  its  throat.  So  violent  was 
this  act  that  Jack  rose  to  his  feet  in  performing  it ;  the 
log  was  thereby  rolled  completely  over,  and  we  were  once 
more  plunged  into  the  water.  "We  all  rose,  spluttering 
and  gasping,  in  a  moment. 

"  Now,  then,  strike  out  for  shore,"  cried  Jack.  "  Here, 
Peterkin,  catch  hold  of  my  collar,  and  kick  out  with  a 
will." 

Peterkin  did  as  he  was  desired,  and  Jack  struck  out 
with    such  force  that  he  cut  through  the  water  like    a 


64  THE   COKAL  ISLAND. 

boat ;  while  I,  being"  free  from  all  encumbrance,  suc- 
ceeded in  keeping  up  with  him.  As  we  had  by  this 
time  drawn  pretty  near  to  the  shore,  a  few  minutes  more 
sufficed  to  carry  us  into  shallow  water  ;  and,  finally,  we 
landed  in  safety,  though  very  much  exhausted,  and  not  a 
little  frightened  by  our  terrible  adventure. 


THE   CORAL   ISLAND.  65 


CHAPTER  Y1II. 

THE  BEAUTIES  OF  TIIE  BOTTOM  OF  THE  SEA  TEMPT  PETERKTN  TO 
DIVE  — HOW  HE  DID  IT— MORE  DIFFICULTIES  OVERCOME  — TIIE 
WATER  GARDEN— CURIOUS  CREATURES  OF  THE  SEA— THE  TANK 
—  CANDLES  BUSSED  VERY  MUCH,  AND  THE  CANDLE-NUT  TREE 
DISCOVERED— WONDERFUL  ACCOUNT  OF  PETERKIN'S  FIRST  TOY- 
AGE— CLOTH  FOUND  GROWING  ON  A  TREE  — A  PLAN  PROJECTED, 
AND  ARMS  PREPARED  FOR  OFFENCE  AND  DEFENCE  — A  DREAD- 
FUL CRY. 


0 


UR  encounter  with  the  shark  was  the  first  great 
danger  that  had  befallen  us  since  landing  on  this 
island,  and  we  felt  very  seriously  affected  by  it,  especially 
when  we  considered  that  we  had  so  often  unwittingly 
incurred  the  same  danger  before  while  bathing.  We 
were  now  forced  to  take  to  fishing  again  in  the  shal- 
low water,  until  we  should  succeed  in  constructing  a  raft. 
What  troubled  us  most,  however,  was,  that  we  were  com- 
pelled to  forego  our  morning  swimming  excursions.  We 
did,  indeed,  continue  to  enjoy  our  bathe  in  the  shallow 
water,  but  Jack  and  I  found  that  one  great  source  of  our 
enjoyment  was  gone,  when  we  could  no  longer  dive  down 
among  the  beautiful  coral  groves  at  the  bottom  of  the 
lagoon.  We  had  come  to  be  so  fond  of  this  exercise,  and 
to  take  such  an  interest  in  watching  the  formations  of 
coral  and  the  gambols  of  the  many  beautiful  fish  amongst 
the  forests  of  red  and  green  sea- weeds,  that  we  had  be- 
come quite  familiar  with  the  appearance  of  the  fish  and 
the  localities  that  they  chiefly  haunted.  We  had  also  be- 
come expert  divers.     But  we  made  it  a  rule  never  to 

5 


QQ  THE    CORAL   ISLAND. 

stay  long  under  water  at  a  time.  Jack  told  me  that  to 
do  so  often  was  bad  for  the  lungs,  and,  instead  of  af- 
fording us  enjoyment,  would  ere  long  do  us  a  serious 
injury.  So  we  never  stayed  at  the  bottom  as  long  as  we 
might  have  done,  but  came  up  frequently  to  the  top  for 
fresh  air,  and  dived  down  again  immediately.  Some- 
times, when  Jack  happened  to  be  in  a  humorous  frame, 
he  would  seat  himself  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea  on  one  of 
the  brain  corals,  as  if  he  were  seated  on  a  large  paddock- 
stool,  and  then  make  faces  at  me,  in  order,  if  possible,  to 
make  me  laugh  under  water.  At  first,  when  he  took  me 
unawares,  he  nearly  succeeded,  and  I  had  to  shoot  to  the 
surface  in  order  to  laugh ;  but  afterwards  I  became 
aware  of  his  intentions,  and,  being  naturally  of  a  grave 
disposition,  I  had  no  difficulty  in  restraining  myself.  I 
used  often  to  wonder  how  poor  Peterkin  would  have  liked 
to  be  with  us ;  and  he  sometimes  expressed  much  regret 
at  being  unable  to  join  us.  I  used  to  do  my  best  to 
gratify  him,  poor  fellow,  by  relating  all  the  wonders  that 
we  saw  ;  but  this,  instead  of  satisfying,  seemed  only  to 
whet  his  curiosity  the  more,  so  one  day  we  prevailed  on 
him  to  try  to  go  down  with  us.  But,  although  a  brave 
boy  in  every  other  way,  Peterkin  was  very  nervous  in 
the  water,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  we  got  him  to  con- 
sent to  be  taken  down,  for  he  could  never  have  man- 
aged to  push  himself  down  to  the  bottom  without  assist- 
ance. But  no  sooner  had  we  pulled  him  down  a  yard 
or  so  into  the  deep  clear  water,  than  he  began  to  strug- 
gle and  kick  violently,  so  we  were  forced  to  let  him  go, 
when  he  rose  out  of  the  water  like  a  cork,  gave  a  loud 
gasp  and  a  frightful  roar,  and  struck  out  for  the  land  with 
the  utmost  possible  haste. 

Now,  all  this  pleasure  we  were  to  forego,  and  when 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  7 

we  thought  thereon,  Jack  and  I  felt  very  much  depressed 

in  our  spirits.  I  could  see,  also,  that  Peterkin  grieved 
and  sympathized  with  us,  for,  when  talking  about  this 
matter^  he  refrained  from  jesting  and  bantering  us  upon  it. 

As,  however,  a  man's  difficulties  usually  set  him  upon 
devising  methods  to  overcome  them,  whereby  he  often 
discovers  better  things  than  those  he  may  have  lost,  bo 
this  our  difficulty  induced  us  to  think  of  searching  for  a 
large  pool  among  the  rocks,  where  the  water  should  be 
deep  enough  for  diving,  yet  so  surrounded  by  rocks  as  to 
prevent  sharks  from  getting  at  us.  And  such  a  pool  we 
afterwards  found,  which  proved  to  be  very  much  better 
than  our  most  sanguine  hopes  anticipated.  It  was  situ- 
ated not  more  than  ten  minutes'  walk  from  our  camp, 
and  was  in  the  form  of  a  small,  deep  bay  or  basin,  the 
entrance  to  which,  besides  being  narrow,  was  se  shallow 
that  no  fish  so  large  as  a  shark  could  get  in,  at  least  not 
unless  he  should  be  a  remarkably  thin  one. 

Inside  of  this  basin,  which  we  called  our  Water  Gar- 
den, the  coral  formations  were  much  more  wonderful, 
and  the  sea-weed  plants  far  more  lovely  and  vividly  col- 
ored, than  in  the  lagoon  itself.  And  the  water  was  so 
clear  and  still,  that,  although  very  deep,  you  could  see 
tin-  minutest  object  at  the  bottom.  Besides  this,  there 
was  a  ledge  of  rock  which  overhung  the  basin  at  its 
deepest  part,  from  which  we  could  dive  pleasantly,  and 
whereon  Peterkin  could  sit  and  see  not  only  all  the  won- 
ders I  had  described  to  him,  but  also  see  Jack  and  me 
creeping  amongst  the  marine  shrubbery  at  the  bottom, 
like,  —  as  he  expressed  it,  —  "  two  great  white  sea-mon- 
sters." During  these  excursions  of  ours  to  the  bottom 
of  the  sea,  we  began  to  get  an  insight  into  the  manners 
and   customs  of  its  inhabitants,  and  to  make  discoveries 


68  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

of  wonderful  things,  the  like  of  which  we  never  before 
conceived.  Among  other  things,  we  were  deeply  inter- 
ested with  the  operations  of  the  little  coral  insect,  which, 
I  was  informed  by  Jack,  is  supposed  to  have  entirely 
constructed  many  of  the  numerous  islands  in  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  And,  certainly,  when  we  considered  the  great 
reef  which  these  insects  had  formed  round  the  island  on 
which  we  were  cast,  and  observed  their  ceaseless  activity 
in  building  their  myriad  cells,  it  did  at  first  seem  as  if 
this  might  be  true  ;  but  then,  again,  when  I  looked  at 
the  mountains  of  the  island,  and  reflected  that  there 
were  thousands  of  such,  many  of  them  much  higher,  in 
the  South  Seas,  I  doubted  that  there  must  be  some  mis- 
take here.     But  more  of  this  hereafter. 

I  also  became  much  taken  up'  with  the  manners  and 
appearance  of  the  anemones  and  star-fish,  and  crabs,  and 
sea-urchins,  and  such  like  creatures ;  and  was  not  con- 
tent with  watching  those  I  saw  during  my  dives  in  the 
Water  Garden,  but  I  must  needs  scoop  out  a  hole  in 
the  coral  rock  close  to  it,  which  I  filled  with  salt  water, 
and  stocked  with  sundry  specimens  of  anemones  and 
shell-fish,  in  order  to  watch  more  closely  how  they  were 
in  the  habit  of  passing  their  time.  Our  burning-glass 
also  now  became  a  great  treasure  to  me,  as  it  enabled  me 
to  magnify,  and  so  to  perceive  more  clearly  the  forms 
and  actions  of  these  curious  creatures  of  the  deep. 

Having  now  got  ourselves  into  a  very  comfortable  con- 
dition, we  began  to  talk  of  a  project  which  we  had  long 
had  in  contemplation,  —  namely,  to  travel  entirely  round 
the  island ;  in  order,  first,  to  ascertain  whether  it  con- 
tained any  other  productions  which  might  be  useful  to* 
us  ;  and,  second,  to  see  whether  there  might  be  any 
place  more  convenient  and  suitable  for  our  permanent 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

residence  than  that  on  which  we  were  now  encamped. 
Not  that  we  were  in  any  degree  dissatisfied  with  it ;  on 
the  contrary,  we  entertained  quite  a  home  feeling  to  our 
bower  and  its  neighborhood  ;  but  if  a  better  place  did 
exist,  there  was  no  reason  why  we  should  not  make  use 
of  it.  At  any  rate,  it  would  be  well  to  know  of  its  ex- 
istence. 

We  had  much  earnest  talk  over  this  matter.  But  Jack 
proposed  that,  before  undertaking  such  an  excursion,  we 
should  supply  ourselves  with  good  defensive  arms,  for,  as 
we  intended  not  only  to  go  round  all  the  shore,  but  to 
ascend  most  of  the  valleys,  before  returning  home,  we 
should  be  likely  to  meet  with,  he  would  not  say  dan- 
gers, but,  at  least,  with  everything  that  existed  on  the 
island,  whatever  that  might  be. 

"  Besides,"  said  Jack,  "  it  won't  do  for  us  to  live  on 
cocoa-nuts  and  oysters  always.  No  doubt  they  are  very 
excellent  in  their  way,  but  I  think  a  little  animal  food, 
now  and  then,  would  be  agreeable  as  well  as  good  for  us ; 
and  as  there  are  many  small  birds  among  the  trees,  some 
of  which  are  probably  very  good  to  eat,  I  think  it  would 
be  a  capital  plan  to  make  bows  and  arrows,  with  which 
we  could  easily  knock  them  over." 

"  First  rate  ! "  cried  Peterkin.  "  You  will  make  the 
bows,  Jack,  and  I'll  try  my  hand  at  the  arrows.  The 
fact  is,  I'm  quite  tired  of  throwing  stones  at  the  birds. 
I  began  the  very  day  we  landed,  I  think,  and  have  per- 
severed up  to  the  present  time,  but  I've  never  hit  any- 
thing yet." 

'k  You  forget,"  said  I,  "  you  hit  me  one  day  on  the 
shin." 

-All.  true,". replied  Peterkin,  "and  a  precious  shindy 
you  kicked  up  in  consequence.     But  you  were  at  least 


70  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

four  yards  away  from  the  impudent  paroquet  I  aimed  at ; 
so  you  see  what  a  horribly  bad  shot  I  am." 

"But,"  said  I,  "Jack,  you  cannot  make  three  bows 
and  arrows  before  to-morrow,  and  would  it  not  be  a  pity 
to  waste  time,  now  that  we  have  made  up  our  minds  to 
go  on  this  expedition  ?  Suppose  that  you  make  one  bow 
and  arrow  for  yourself,  and  we  can  take  our  clubs  ?  " 

"  That's  true,  Ralph.  The  day  is  pretty  far  advanced, 
and  I  doubt  if  I  can  make  even  one  bow  before  dark. 
To  be  sure,  I  might  work  by  firelight,  after  the  sun  goes 
down." 

We  had,  up  to  this  time,  been  in  the  habit  of  going  to 
bed  with  the  sun,  as  we  had  no  pressing  call  to  work 
o'  nights ;  and,  indeed,  our  work  during  the  day  was 
usually  hard  enough,  —  what  between  fishing,  and  im- 
proving our  bower,  and  diving  in  the  Water  Garden,  and 
rambling  in  the  woods  ;  so  that,  when  night  came,  we 
were  usually  very  glad  to  retire  to  our  beds.  But  now 
that  we  had  a  desire  to  work  at  night,  we  felt  a  wish  for 
candles. 

"  Won't  a  good  blazing  fire  give  you  light  enough  ?  " 
inquired  Peterkin. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Jack,  "  quite  enough  ;  but  then  it  will 
give  us  a  great  deal  more  than  enough  of  heat  in  this 
warm  climate  of  ours." 

"  True,"  said  Peterkin  ;  "  I  forgot  that.  It  would 
roast  us." 

"  Well,  as  you're  always  doing  that  at  any  rate,"  re- 
marked Jack,  "  we  could  scarcely  call  it  a  change.  But 
the  fact  is,  I've  been  thinking  over  this  subject  before. 
There  is  a  certain  nut  growing  in  these  islands  which  is 
called  the  candle-nut,  because  the  natives  use  it  instead 
of  candles,  and  I  know  all  about  it,  and  how  to  prepare 
it  for  burning  — " 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  71 

u  Then  why  don't  you  do  it?"  interrupted  Peterkin. 
"Why  have  you  kept  us  in  the  dark  so  long,  you  vile 
philosopher  ? " 

u  Because,"  said  Jack,  "I  have  not  seen  the  tree  yet, 
and  I'm  not  sure  that  I  should  know  either  the  tree  or 
the  nuts  if  I  did  see  them.  You  see,  I  forget  the  de- 
scription." 

-  Ah  !  that's  just  the  way  with  me,"  said  Peterkin 
with  a  deep  sigh.  "I  never  could  keep  in  my  mind  for 
half  an  hour  the  few  descriptions  I  ever  attempted  to  re- 
member. The  very  first  voyage  I  ever  made  was  caused 
by  my  mistaking  a  description,  or  forgetting  it,  which  is 
the  same  thing.  And  a  horrible  voyage  it  was.  I  had 
to  fight  with  the  captain  the  whole  way  out,  and  made 
the  homeward  voyage  by  swimming!  " 

"  Come,  Peterkin,"  said  I,  "  you  can't  get  even  >>i>j  to 
believe  that." 

"  Perhaps  not,  but  it's  true,  notwithstanding,"  returned 
Peterkin,  pretending  to  be  hurt  at  my  doubting  his 
word. 

'•  Let  us  hear  how  it  .happened,"  said  Jack,  while  a 
good-natured  smile  overspread  his  face. 

"  Well,  you  must  know,"  began  Peterkin,  "  that  the 
very  day  before  I  went  to  sea,  I  was  greatly  taken  up 
with  a  game  at  hockey,  which  I  was  playing  with  my  old 
school-fellows  for  the  last  time  before  leaving  them.  You 
see  I  was  young  then,  Ralph."  Peterkin  gazed  in  an 
abstracted  and  melancholy  manner,  out  to  sea  !  "  Well, 
in  the  midst  of  the  game,  my  uncle,  who  had  taken  all 
the  bother  and  trouble  of  getting  me  bound  'prentice  and 
rigged  out,  came  and  took  me  aside,  and  told  me  that  he 
was  called  suddenly  away  from  home,  and  would  not  be 
able  to  see  me  aboard,  as  he  had  intended.     '  However.' 


72  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

said  lie, '  the  captain  knows  you  are  coming,  so  that's  not 
of  much  consequence  ;  but  as  you'll  have  to  find  the  ship 
yourself,  you  must  remember  her  name  and  description. 
D'ye  hear,  boy  ? '  I  certainly  did  hear,  but  I'm  afraid  I 
did  not  understand,  for  my  mind  was  so  taken  up  with 
the  game,  which  I  saw  my  side  was  losing,  that  I  began 
to  grow  impatient,  and  the  moment  my  uncle  finished  his 
description  of  the  ship,  and  bade  me  good-bye,  I  bolted 
back  to  my  game,  with  only  a  confused  idea  of  three 
masts,  and  a  green  painted  taffrail,  and  a  gilt  figure-head 
of  Hercules  with  his  club  at  the  bow.  Next  day  I  was 
so  much  cast  down  with  everybody  saying  good-bye,  and 
a  lot  o'  my  female  friends  cryin'  horribly  over  me,  that  I 
did  not  start  for  the  harbor,  where  the  ship  was  lying 
among  a  thousand  others,  till  it  was  almost  too  late.  So  I 
had  to  run  the  whole  way.  When  I  reached  the  pier,  there 
were  so  many  masts,  and  so  much  confusion,  that  I  felt 
quite  humblebumbled  in  my  faculties.  '  Now,'  said  I  to 
myself,  '  Peterkin,  you're  in  a  fix.'  Then  I  fancied  I  saw 
a  gilt  figure-head  and  three  masts,  belonging  to  a  ship 
just  about  to  start ;  so  I  darted  on  board,  but  speedily 
jumped  on  shore  again,  when  I  found  that  two  of  the 
masts  belonged  to  another  vessel,  and  the  figure-head  to 
a  third  !  At  last  I  caught  sight  of  what  I  made  sure  was 
it,  —  a  fine  large  vessel  just  casting  off  her  moorings.  The 
taffrail  was  green.  Three  masts,  —  yes,  that  must  be  it, 
—  and  the  gilt  figure-head  of  Hercules.  To  be  sure  it 
had  a  three-pronged  pitchfork  in  its  hand  instead  of  a 
club  ;  but  that  might  be  my  uncle's  mistake  ;  or  perhaps 
Hercules  sometimes  varied  his  weapons.  'Cast  off!' 
roared  a  voice  from  the  quarter-deck.  '  Hold  on  ! '  cried 
I,  rushing  frantically  through  the  crowd.  '  Hold  on  ! 
hold  on  ! '  repeated  some  of  the  bystanders,  while  the  men 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  73 

at  the  ropes  delayed  for  a  minute.  This  threw  the  cap- 
tain into  a  frightful  rage  ;  for  some  of  his  friends  had* 
come  down  to  see  him  off,  and  having  his  orders  contra- 
dicted so  flatly  was  too  much  for  liim.  However,  the 
delay  was  sufficient.  I  took  a  race  and  a  good  leap  ;  the 
ropes  were  cast  off;  the  steam-tug  gave  a  puff,  and  we 
started.  Suddenly  the  captain  walks  up  to  me  :  '  Where 
did  you  come  from,  you  scamp,  and  what  do  you  want 
here  ? ' 

" '  Please,  sir,'  said  I,  touching  my  cap,  '  I'm  you're 
new  'prentice  come  aboard.' 

"  •  New  'prentice,'  said  he,  stamping,  i  I've  got  no  new 
'prentice.  My  boys  are  all  aboard  already.  This  is  a 
trick,  you  young  blackguard.  You've  run  away,  you 
have  ;'  and  the  captain  stamped  about  the  deck  and  swore 
dreadfully ;  for,  you  see,  the  thought  of  having  to  stop 
the  ship  and  lower  a  boat  and  lose  half  an  hour,  all  for 
the  sake  of  sending  a  small  boy  ashore,  seemed  to  make 
him  very  angry.  Besides,  it  was  blowin'  fresh  outside 
the  harbor,  so  that,  to  have  let  the  steamer  alongside  to 
put  me  into  it  was  no  easy  job.  Just  as  we  were  passing 
the  pier-head,  where  several  boats  were  rowing  into  har- 
bor, the  captain  came  up  to  me,  — 

"  '  You've  run  away,  you  blackguard,'  he  said,  giving 
me  a  box  on  the  ear. 

"  '  No  I  haven't,'  said  I,  angrily ;  for  the  box  was  by 
no  means  a  light  one. 

"  '  Hark'ee,  boy,  can  you  swim  ? ' 

"  '  Yes,'  said  I. 

" '  Then  do  it,'  and,  seizing  me  by  my  trousers  and  the 
nape  of  my  neck,  he  tossed  me  over  the  side  into  the  sea. 
The  fellows  in  the  boats  at  the  end  of  the  pier,  backed 
their  oars  on  seeing  this  ;  but  observing  that  I  could 


74  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

swim,  they  allowed  me  to  make  the  best  of  my  way  to 
the  pier-head.  So,  you  see,  Ralph,  that  I  really  did  swim 
my  first  homeward  voyage." 

Jack  laughed  and  patted  Peterkin  on  the  shoulder. 

"But  tell  us  about  the  candle-nut  tree,"  said  I ;  "  you 
were  talking  about  it." 

"  Very  true,"  said  Jack,  "  but  I  fear  I  can  remember 
little  about  it.  I  believe  the  nut  is  about  the  size  of  a 
walnut ;  and  I  think  that  the  leaves  are  white,  but  I  am 
not  sure." 

"  Eh  !  ha !  hum  ! "  exclaimed  Peterkin,  "  I  saw  a  tree 
answering  to  that  description  this  very  day." 

«  Did  you  ?  "  cried  Jack.     "  Is  it  far  from  this  ?  " 

"  JNo,  not  half  a  mile." 

u  Then  lead  me  to  it,"  said  Jack,  seizing  his  axe. 

In  a  few  minutes  we  were  all  three  pushing  through 
the  underwood  of  the  forest,  headed  by  Peterkin. 

We  soon  came  to  the  tree  in  question,  which,  after 
Jack  had  closely  examined  it,  we  concluded  must  be  the 
candle-nut  tree.  Its  leaves  were  of  a  beautiful  silvery 
white,  and  formed  a  fine  contrast  to  the  dark  green  foliage 
of  the  surrounding  trees.  TVe  immediately  filled  our 
pockets  with  the  nuts,  after  which  Jack  said,  — 

"  Now,  Peterkin,  climb  that  cocoa-nut  tree  and  cut  me 
one  of  the  long  branches." 

This  was  soon  done,  but  it  cost  some  trouble,  for  the 
stem  was  very  high,  and  as  Peterkin  usually  pulled  nuts 
from  the  younger  trees,  he  was  not  much  accustomed  to 
climbing  the  high  ones.  The  leaf  or  branch  was  a  very 
large  one,  and  we  were  surprised  at  its  size  and  strength. 
Viewed  from  a  little  distance,  the  cocoa-nut  tree  seems  to 
be  a  tall,  straight  stem,  without  a  single  branch  except  at 
the  top,  where  there  is  a  tuft  of  feathery-looking  leaves, 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  7o 

that  seem  to  wave  like  soft  plumes  in  the  wind.  Hut 
when  we  saw  one  of  the*se  leaves  or  branches  at  our  feet, 
we  found  it  to  be  a  strong  stalk,  about  fifteen  feet  long, 
with  a  number  of  narrow,  pointed  leaflets  ranged  alter- 
nately on  each  side.  But  what  seemed  to  us  the  most 
wonderful  thing  about  it  was  a  curious  substance  resem- 
bling cloth,  which  was  wrapped  round  the  thick  end  of 
the  stalk,  where  it  had  been  cut  from  the  tree.  Peter- 
kin  told  us  that  he  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  separat- 
ing the  branch  from  the  stem,  on  account  of  this  sub- 
stance, as  it  was  wrapped  quite  round  the  tree,  and,  he 
observed,  round  all  the  other  branches,  thus  forming  a 
strong  support  to  the  large  leaves  while  exposed  to  high 
winds.  "When  I  call  this  substance  cloth,  I  do  not  exag- 
gerate. Indeed,  with  regard  to  all  the  things  I  saw  dur- 
ing my  eventful  career  in  the  South  Seas,  I  have  been 
exceedingly  careful  not  to  exaggerate,  or  in  any  way 
to  mislead  or  deceive  my  readers.  This  cloth,  I  say,  was 
remarkably  like  to  coarse,  brown  cotton  cloth.  It  had  a 
seam  or  fibre  down  the  centre  of  it,  from  which  diverged 
other  fibres,  about  the  size  of  a  bristle.  There  were  two 
layers  of  these  fibres,  very  long  and  tough,  the  one  layer 
crossing  the  other  obliquely,  and  the  whole  was  cemented 
together  with  a  still  finer  fibrous  and  adhesive  substance. 
When  we  regarded  it  attentively,  we  could  with  difficulty 
believe  that  it  had  not  been  woven  by  human  hands. 
This  remarkable  piece  of  cloth  we  stripped  carefully  off, 
and  found  it  to  be  above  two  feet  long,  by  a  foot  broad, 
and  we  carried  it  home  with  us  as  a  great  prize. 

Jack  now  took  one  of  the  leaflets,  and,  cutting  out 
the  central  spine  or  stalk,  hurried  back  with  it  to  our 
camp.  Having  made  a  small  fire,  he  baked  the  nuts 
slightly,  and  then  pealed  off  the  husks.     After  this  he 


76  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

wished  to  bore  a  hole  in  them,  which,  not  having  any- 
thing better  at  hand  at  the  time,  he  did  with  the  point  of 
our  useless  pencil-case.  Then  he  strung  them  on  the 
cocoa-nut  spine,  and  on  putting  a  light  to  the  topmost 
nut,  we  found  to  our  joy  that  it  burned  with  a  clear, 
beautiful  flame;  upon  seeing  which,  Peterkin  sprang 
up  and  danced  round  the  fire  for  at  least  five  minutes  in 
the  excess  of  his  satisfaction. 

"  Now,  lads,"  said  Jack,  extinguishing  our  candle,  the 
sun  will  set  in  an  hour,  so  we  have  no  time  to  lose.  I 
shall  go  and  cut  a  young  tree  to  make  my  bow  out  of, 
and  you  had  better  each  of  you  go  and  select  good  strong 
sticks  for  clubs,  and  we'll  set  to  work  at  them  after 
dark." 

So  saying  he  shouldered  his  axe  and  went  off,  fol- 
lowed by  Peterkin,  while  I  took  up  the  piece  of  newly- 
discovered  cloth,  and  fell  to  examining  its  structure.  So 
engrossed  was  I  in  this  that  I  was  still  sitting  in  the 
same  attitude  and  occupation  when  my  companions  re- 
turned. 

"  I  told  you  so  !  "  cried  Peterkin,  with  a  loud  laugh. 
u  Oh,  Ralph,  you're  incorrigible.  See,  there's  a  club  for 
you.  I  was  sure,  when  we  left  you  looking  at  that  bit 
of  stuff,  that  we  would  find  you  poring  over  it  when  we 
came  back,  so  I  just  cut  a  club  for  you  as  well  as  for 
myself." 

"  Thank  you,  Peterkin,"  said  I.  "  It  was  kind  of  you 
to  do  that,  instead  of  scolding  me  for  a  lazy  fellow,  as  I 
confess  I  deserve." 

"  Oh !  as  to  that,"  returned  Peterkin,  "  I'll  blow  you 
up  yet,  if  you  wish  it  —  only  it  would  be  of  no  use  if  I 
did,  for  you're  a  perfect  mule ! " 

As  it  was  now  getting  dark  we  lighted  our  candle,  and 


THE  CORAL  ISLAXD.  77 

placing  it  in  a  holder  made  of  two  crossing  branches, 
inside  of  our  bower,  we  seated  ourselves  on  our  leafy 
beds  and  began  to  work. 

"  I  intend  to  appropriate  the  bow  for  my  own  use  " 
said  Jack,  chipping  the  piece  of  wood  he  had  brought 
with  his  axe.  "  I  used  to  be  a  pretty  fair  shot  once. 
But  what's  that  you're  doing?"  he  added,  looking  at 
Peterkin,  who  had  drawn  the  end  of  a  long  pole  Into 
the  tent,  and  was  endeavoring  to  fit  a  small  pFece  of  the 
hoop-iron  to  the  end  of  it. 

"  I'm  going  to  enlist  into  the  Lancers,"  answered  Pe-  ' 
terkin.     "  You  see,  Jack,  I  find  the  club  rather  an  un- 
wieldy instrument  for  my  delicately-formed  muscles,  and 
I  flatter  myself  I  shall  do  more  execution  with  a  spear." 

'•Well,  if  length  constitutes  power,"  said  Jack,  "you'll 
certainly  be  invincible." 

The  pole  which  Peterkin  had  cut  was  full  twelve  feet 
long,  being  a  very  strong  but  light  and  tough  young  tree, 
which  merely  required  thinning  at  the  butt  to  be  1  ser- 
viceable weapon. 

"  That's  a  very  good  idea,"  said  I. 

"Which  — this? "inquired  Peterkin,  pointing  to  the 
spear. 

"  Yes,"  I  replied. 

"Humph!  "said  he;  "you'd  find  it  a  pretty  tough 
and  matter-of-fact  idea,  if  you  had  it  stuck  through  your 
gizzard,  old  boy!  " 

"I  mean  the  idea  of  making  it  is  a  good  one,"  said  I 
laughing.  «  And  now  I  think  of  it,  I'll  change  my  plan! 
too.  I  don't  think  much  of  a  club,  so  I'll  make  me  a' 
sling  out  of  this  piece  of  cloth.  I  used  to  be  very  fond 
of  slinging,  ever  since  I  read  of  David  slaying  Goliath 
the  Philistine,  and  I  was  once  thought  to  be  expert  at 
it." 


78  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

So  I  set  to  work  to  manufacture  a  sling.  For  a  long 
time  we  all  worked  very  busily  without  speaking.  At 
length  Peterkin  looked  up  :  "I  say,  Jack,  I'm  sorry  to 
say  I  must  apply  to  you  for  another  strip  of  your  hand- 
kerchief, to  tie  on  this  rascally  head  with.  It's  pretty 
well  torn  at  any  rate,  so  you  won't  miss  it." 

Jack  proceeded  to  comply  with  this  request,  when  Pe- 
terkin suddenly  laid  his  hand  on  his  arm  and  arrested 
him. 

"  Hist,  man,"  said  he,  "  be  tender  ;  you  should  never 
be  needlessly  cruel  if  you  can  help  it.  Do  try  to  shave 
past  Lord  Nelson's  mouth  without  tearing  it,  if  possible ! 
Thanks.  There  are  plenty  more  handkerchiefs  on  the 
cocoa-nut  trees." 

Poor  Peterkin !  with  what  pleasant  feelings  I  recall 
and  record  his  jests  and  humorous  sayings  now  ! 

While  we  were  thus  engaged,  we  were  startled  by  a 
distant  but  most  strange  and  horrible  cry.  It  seemed 
to  come  from  the  sea,  but  was  so  far  away  that  we  could 
not  clearly  distinguish  its  precise  direction.  Rushing 
out  of  our  bower,  we  hastened  down  to  the  beach  and 
stayed  to  listen.  Again  it  came  quite  loud  and  distinct 
on  the  night  air,  —  a  prolonged,  hideous  cry,  something 
like  the  braying  of  an  ass.  The  moon  had  risen,  and 
we  could  see  the  islands  in  and  beyond  the  lagoon  quite 
plainly,  but  there  was  no  object  visible  to  account  for 
such  a  cry.  A  strong  gust  of  wind  was  blowing  from 
the  point  whence  the  sound  came,  but  this  died  away 
while  we  were  gazing  out  to  sea. 

"  What  can  it  be  ?  "  said  Peterkin,  in  a  low  whisper, 
while  we  all  involuntarily  crept  closer  to  each  other. 

"  Do  you  know,"  said  Jack,  "  I  have  heard  that  mys- 
terious sound  twice  before,  but  never  so  loud  as  to-night. 


THE  COBAL  ISLAND.  70 

Indeed,  it  was  so  faint  that  I  thought  I  must  have  merely 
fancied  it,  so,  as  I  did  not  wish  to  alarm  you,  I  said  noth- 
ing about  it." 

We  listened  for  a  long  time  for  the  sound  again,  but 
as  it  did  not  come,  we  returned  to  the  bower  and  resumed 
our  work. 

"Very  strange,"  said  Peterkin,  quite  gravely.  «  Do 
you  believe  in  ghosts,  Ralph  ? " 

"  No,"  I  answered,  "  I  do  not.     Nevertheless   I  must 
confess  that  strange,  unaccountable  sounds,  such  as  we 
have  just  heard,  make  me  feel  a  little  uneasy." 
"  What  say  you  to  it,  Jack  ?  " 

"  I  neither  believe  in  ghosts  nor  feel  uneasy,"  he  re- 
plied. "I  never  saw  a  ghost  myself,  and  I  never  met 
with  any  one  who  had;  and  I  have  generally  found  that 
strange  and  unaccountable  things  have  almost  always 
been  accounted  for,  and  found  to  be  quite  simple,  on 
close  examination.  I  certainly  can't  imagine  what  that 
sound  is;  but  I'm  quite  sure  I  shall  find  out  before  long, 

—  and  if  it's  a  ghost  I'll  —  I'll " 

"  Eat  it,"  cried  Peterkin. 

"  Yes,  I'll  eat  it !  Now,  then,  my  bow  and  two  ar- 
rows are  finished  ;  so  if  you're  ready  we  had  better  turn 
in." 

.  By  this  time  Peterkin  had  thinned  down  his  spear  and 
tied  an  iron  point  very  cleverly  to  the  end  of  it ;  I  had 
formed  a  sling,  the  lines  of  which  were  composed  of  thin 
strips  of  the  cocoa-nut  cloth,  plaited;  and  Jack  had  made 
a  stout  bow,  nearly  five  feet  long,  with  two  arrows,  feath- 
ered with  two  or  three  large  plumes  which  some  bird 
had  dropt.  They  had  no  barbs,  but  Jack  said  that  if 
arrows  were  well  feathered,  they  did  not  require  iron 
points,  but  would  fly  quite  well  if  merely  sharpened  at 
the  point ;  which  I  did  not  know  before. 


80  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

"  A  feathered  arrow  without  a  barb,"  said  he,  "  is  a 
good  weapon,  but  a  barbed  arrow  without  feathers  is 
utterly  useless." 

The  string  of  the  bow  was  formed  of  our  piece  of 
whip-cord,  part  of  which,  as  he  did  not  like  to  cut  it,  was 
rolled  round  the  bow. 

Although  thus  prepared  for  a  start  on  the  morrow,  we 
thought  it  wise  to  exercise  ourselves  a  little  in  the  use  of 
our  weapons  before  starting,  so  we  spent  the  whole  of  the 
next  day  in  practising.  And  it  was  well  we  did  so,  for 
we  found  that  our  arms  were  very  imperfect,  and  that 
we  were  far  from  perfect  in  the  use  of  them.  First, 
Jack  found  that  the  bow  was  much  too  strong,  and  he 
had  to  thin  it.  Also,  the  spear  was  much  too  heavy, 
and  so  had  to  be  reduced  in  thickness,  although  nothing 
would  induce  Peterkin  to  have  it  shortened.  My  sling 
answered  very  well,  but  I  had  fallen  so  much  out  of 
practice  that  my  first  stone  knocked  off  Peterkin's  hat, 
and  narrowly  missed  making  a  second  Goliath  of  him. 
However,  after  having  spent  the  whole  day  in  diligent 
practice,  we  began  to  find  some  of  our  former  expertness 
returning  —  at  least,  Jack  and  I  did.  As  for  Peterkin, 
being  naturally  a  neat-handed  boy,  he  soon  handled  his 
spear  well,  and  could  run  full  tilt  at  a  cocoa-nut,  and  hit 
it  with  great  precision  once  out  of  every  five  times. 

But  I  feel  satisfied  that  we  owed  much  of  our  rapid 
success  to  the  unflagging  energy  of  Jack,  who  insisted 
that,  since  we  had  made  him  Captain,  we  should  obey 
him ;  and  he  kept  us  at  work  from  morning  till  night, 
perseveringly,  at  the  same  thing.  Peterkin  wished  very 
much  to  run  about  and  stick  his  spear  into  everything  he 
passed ;  but  Jack  put  up  a  cocoa-nut,  and  would  not  let 
him  leave  off  running  at  that  for  a  moment,  except  when 


THE  COBAL  ISLAND.  , 


82 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND 


CHAPTER  IX. 

CURRENCES. 

O  CAKCELY  had  the  sun  shot  its  first  ray  across  the 
D  bosom  of  the  broad  Pacific,  when  Jack  sprang  to 
his  feet,  and,  hallooing  in  Peterkin's  ear  to  awaken Jnrn, 
ran  down  the  beach  to  take  his  customary  dip  id  the  Bea. 
We  did  not,  as  was  our  wont,  bathe  that  mormng  in  our 
Water  Garden,  but,  in  order  to  save  tune  refreshed  our- 
selves in  the  shallow  water  just  oppostte  the  bower.  Our 
breakfast  was  also  despatched  without  loss  of  tune,  and 
in  less  than  an  hour  afterwards  all  our  preparations  for 
the  iourney  were  completed. 

In  addition  to  his  ordinary  dress,  Jack  tied  a  belt  of 
cocoa-nut  cloth  round  his  waist,  into  which  he  thrust  the 
axe      I  was  also  advised  to  put  on  a  belt  and  carry  a 
Short  cudgel  or  bludgeon  in  it ;    for,  as  Jack   truly  re- 
nte  ,  I  dbg  would  he  of  little  use  if  we   should 
chance  to  come  to  close  quarters  with  any  wildammui 
As  for  Peterkin,  notwithstanding  that  he  earned  such  a 
Ion.,  and  I  must  add,  frightful-looking  spear   oyer   Ins 
holder,  we  could  not  prevail  on  him  to  leave  h,s  club 
behind ;  "  for,"  said  he,  «  a  spear  at  close  quarters  .s  not 
worth  a  button."     I  must  say  that  it  seemed  to  me  that 
the  club  was,  to  use  his  own  style  of  language  not  worth 
a  button-hole;  for  it  was  all  knotted  over  at  the  head, 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  83 

I 

something  like  the  club  wnich  I  remember  to  have  ob- 
served in  picture-books  of  Jack  the  Giant-Killer,  bes 
being  so  heavy  that  he  required  to  grasp  it  with  both 
hands  in  order  to  wield  it  at  all.  However,  he  took 
it  with  hira,  and,  in  this  manner,  we  set  out  upon  our 
travel-. 

We  did  not  consider  it  necessary  to  cany  any  food 
with  us,  as  wo  knew  that  wherever  we  wont  we  should 
lie  certain  to  fall  in  with  cocoa-nut  trees;  having  which, 
we  wore  amply  supplied,  as  Peterkin  said,  with  meat  and 
drink  and  pocket-handkerchiefs  !  I  took  the  precaution, 
however,  to  put  the  burning-glass  into  my  pocket,  lest  we 
should  want  fire. 

The  morning  was  exceeding  lovely.  It  was  one  of 
that  very  still  and  peaceful  sort  which  made  iiio  tew 
noises  that  we  heard  seem  to  be  quiet  noises.  I  know 
no  other  way  of  expressing  this  idea.  Noises  which  — 
so  far  from  interrupting  the  universal  tranquillity  of 
earth,  sea,  and  sky  —  rather  tended  to  reveal  to  us  how 
quiet  the  world  around  us  really  was.  Such  sounds  as 
I  refer  to  were,  the  peculiarly  melancholy  —  yet,  it 
seemed  to  me,  cheerful  —  plaint  of  sea-birds  floating  on 
the  glassy  water,  or  sailing  in  the  sky,  also  the  subdued 
twittering  of  little  birds  among  the  bushes,  the  faint 
ripples,  on  the  beach,  and  the  solemn  boom  of  the  surf 
upon  the  distant  coral  reef.  We  felt  very  glad  in  our 
hearts  as  we  walked  along  the  sands  side  by  side.  For 
my  part,  I  felt  so  deeply  overjoyed,  that  I  was  surprised 
at  my  own  sensations,  and  fell  into  a  reverie  upon  the 
causes  of  happiness.  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  a 
state  of  profound  peace  and  repose,  both  in  regard  to 
outward  objects  and  within  the  soul,  is  the  happiest  con- 
dition in  which  man  can  be  placed  ;  for,  although  I  had 


84  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

many  a  time  been  most  joyful  and  happy  when  engaged 
in  bustling,  energetic,  active  pursuits  or  amusements,  I 
never  found  that  such  joy  or  satisfaction  was  so  deep  or 
so  pleasant  to  reflect  upon  as  that  which  I  now  expe- 
rienced. And  I  was  the  more  confirmed  in  this  opin- 
ion when  I  observed,  and,  indeed,  was  ,told  by  himself, 
that  Peterkin's  happiness  was  also  very  great ;  yet  he 
did  not  express  this  by  dancing,  as  was  his  wont,  nor  did 
he  give  so  much  as  a  single  shout,  but  walked  quietly 
between  us  with  his  eye  sparkling,  and  a  joyful  smile 
upon  his  countenance.  My  reader  must  not  suppose 
that  I  thought  all  this  in  the  clear  and  methodical  man- 
ner in  which  I  have  set  it  down  here.  These  thoughts 
did,  indeed,  pass  through  my  mind,  but  they  did  so  in  a 
very  confused  and  indefinite  manner,  for  I  was  young 
at  that  time,  and  not  much  given  to  deep  reflections. 
Neither  did  I  consider  that  the  peace  whereof  I  write  is 
not  to  be  found  in  this  world  —  at  least  in  its  perfec- 
tion, although  I  have  since  learned  that  by  religion  a 
man  may  attain  to  a  very  great  degree  of  it. 

I  have  said  that  Peterkin  walked  along  the  sands  be- 
tween us.  We  had  two  ways  of  walking  together  about 
our  island.  When  we  travelled  through  the  woods,  we 
always  did  so  in  single  file,  as  by  this  method  we  ad- 
vanced with  greater  facility,  the  one  treading  in  the 
other's  footsteps.  In  such  cases  Jack  always  took  the 
lead,  Peterkin  followed,  and  I  brought  up  the  rear.  But 
when  we  travelled  along  the  sands,  which  extended 
almost  in  an  unbroken  line  of  glistening  white  round 
the  island,  we  marched  abreast,  as  we  found  this  method 
more  sociable,  and  every  way  more  pleasant.  Jack, 
being  the  tallest,  walked  next  the  sea,  and  Peterkin 
marched  between  us,  as  by  this  arrangement  either  of 


THE  COKAL  ISLAND.  85 

ds  could  talk  to  him  or  lie  to  as,  while  if  Jack  and  I 
happened  to  wish  to  converse  together,  we  could  con- 
veniently do  so  over  Peterkin's  head.  Peterkin  used  to 
say,  in  reference  to  this  arrangement,  that  had  he  been 
as  tall  as  either  of  us,  our  order  of  march  might  have 
been  the  same,  for,  as  Jack  often  used  to  scold  him  for 
h-tiing  everything  we  said  to  him  pass  in  at  one  ear  and 
out  at  the  other,  his  head  could  of  course  form  no  in- 
terruption to  our  discourse. 

We  were  now  fairly  started.  Half  a  mile's  walk  con- 
viynl  ua  round  a  bend  in  the  land  which  shut  out  our 
bower  from  view,  and  for  some  time  we  advanced  at  a 
brisk  pace  without  speaking,  though  our  eyes  were  not 
idle,  hut  noted  everything,  in  the  woods,  on  the  shore,  or 
in  the  sea,  that  was  interesting.  After  passing  the  ridge 
of  land  that  formed  one  side  of  our  valley  —  the  Valley 
of  the  Wreck  —  we  beheld  another  small  vale  lying 
before  us  in  all  the  luxuriant  loveliness  of  tropical  veg- 
etation. We  had,  indeed,  seen  it  before  from  the  moun- 
taintop,  but  Ave  had  no  idea  that  it  would  turn  out  to 
be  -o  much  more  lovely  when  we  were  close  to  it.  We 
were  about  to  commence  the  exploration  of  this  valley, 
when  Peterkin  stopped  us,  and  directed  our  attention 
to  a  very  remarkable  appearance  in  advance  along  the 
shore. 

"  What's  yon,  think  you  ? "  said  he,  levelling  his 
Bpear,  as  if  he  expected  an  immediate  attack  from 
the  object  in  question,  though  it  was  full  half  a  mile 
distant. 

As  he  spoke,  there  appeared  a  white  column  above  the 
rock-,  as  if  of  steam  or  spray.  It  rose  upwards  to  a 
height  of  several  feet,  and  then  disappeared.  Had  this 
been  near  the  sea,  we,  would   not   have   been   so   greatly 


86  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

surprised,  as  it  might  in  that  case  have  been  the  surf,  for 
at  this  part  of  the  coast  the  coral  reef  approached  so 
near  to  the  island  that  in  some  parts  it  almost  joined  it. 
There  was  therefore  no  lagoon  between,  and  the  heavy 
surf  of  the  ocean  beat  almost  up  to  the  rocks.  But  this 
white  column  appeared  about  fifty  yards  inland.  The 
rocks  at  the  place  were  rugged,  and  they  stretched  across 
the  sandy  beach  into  the  sea.  Scarce  had  we  ceased  ex- 
pressing our  surprise  at  this  sight,  when  another  column 
flew  upwards  for  a  few  seconds,  not  far  from  the  spot 
where  the  first  had  been  seen,  and  disappeared  ;  and  so, 
at  long  irregular  intervals,  these  strange  sights  recurred. 
"We  were  now  quite  sure  that  the  columns  were  watery 
or  composed  of  spray,  but  what  caused  them  we  could 
not  guess,  so  we  determined  to  go  and  see. 

In  a  few  minutes  we  gained  the  spot,  which  was  very 
rugged  and  precipitous,  and,  moreover,  quite  damp  with 
the  falling  of  the  spray.  "We  had  much  ado  to  pass 
over  dry-shod.  The  ground  also  was  full  of  holes  here 
and  there.  Now,  while  we  stood  anxiously  waiting  for 
the  reappearance  of  these  warer-spouts,  we  heard  a  low, 
rumbling  sound  near  us,  which  quickly  increased  to  a 
gurgling  and  hissing  noise,  and  a  moment  afterwards  a 
thick  spout  of  water  burst  upwards  from  a  hole  in  the 
rock,  and  spouted  into  the  air  with  much  violence,  and 
so  close  to  where  Jack  and  I  were  standing  that  it  nearly 
touched  us.  "We  sprang  to  one  side,  but  not  before  a 
cloud  of  spray  descended,  and  drenched  us  both  to  the 
skin. 

Peterkin,  who  was  standing  farther  off,  escaped  with  a 
few  drops,  and  burst  into  an  uncontrollable  fit  of  laugh- 
ter on  beholding  our  miserable  plight. 

"Mind  your  eye!"  he  shouted  eagerly,  "there  goes 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  87 

another!"  Tin*  words  were  scarcely  out  of  hia  mouth 
when  there  came  up  a  spout  from  another  hole-,  which 
Berved  us  exactly  in  the  same  manner  as  before. 

Peterkin  now  shrieked  \vith  laughter;  but  his  merri- 
ment was  abruptly  put  a  stop  to  by  the  gurgling  noise 
occurring  close  to  where  he  stood. 

k-  Where'll  it  spout  this  time,  I  wonder?"  he  said,  look- 
ing about  with  some  anxiety,  and  preparing  to  run. 
Suddenly  fhere  came  a  loud  hiss  or  snort ;  a  fierce  spout 
of  water  burst  up  between  Peterkin's  legs,  blew  him  off 
his  feet,  enveloped  him  in  its  spray,  and  hurled  him  to 
the  ground.  lie  fell  with  so  much  violence  that  we 
feared  he  must  have  broken  some  of  his  bones,  and  ran 
anxiously  to  his  assistance;  but  fortunately  he  had  fallen 
on  a  clump  of  tangled  herbage,  in  which  he  lay  sprawl- 
ing in  a  most  deplorable  condition. 

It  wras  now  our  turn  to  laugh  ;  but  as  we  were  not 
yet  quite  sure  that  he  was  unhurt,  and  as  we  knew  not 
when  or  where  the  next  spout  might  arise,  we  assisted 
him  hastily  to  jump  up  and  hurry  from  the  spot. 

I  may  here  add,  that  although  I  am  quite  certain  that 
the  spout  of  water  was  very  strong,  and  that  it  blew  Pe- 
terkin completely  off  his  legs,  I  am  not  quite  certain  of 
the  exact  height  to  which  it  lifted  him,  being  somewhat 
startled  by  the  event,  and  blinded  partially  by  the  spray, 
so  that  my  power  of  observation  was  somewhat  impaired 
for  the  moment. 

"What's  to  be  done  now?"  inquired  Peterkin  rue- 
fully. 

"  Make  a  fire,  lad,  and  dry  ourselves,"  replied  Jack. 

"And  here  is  material  ready  to  our  hand."  -aid  I, 
picking  up  a  dried  branch  of  a  tree,  as  we  hurried  up  to 
.the  wroods. 


88  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

Iii  about  an  hour  after  this  mishap  our  clothes  were 
again  dried.  While  they  were  hanging  up  before  the 
fire,  we  walked  down  to  the  beach,  and  soon  observed 
that  these  curious  spouts  took  place  immediately  after 
the  fall  of  a  huge  wave,  never  before  it ;  and,  moreover, 
that  the  spouts  did  not  take  place  excepting  when  the 
billow  was  an  extremely  large  one.  From  this  we  con- 
cluded that  there  must  be  a  subterraneous  channel  in  the 
rock  into  which  the  water  was  driven  by  the  larger 
waves,  and  finding  no  way  of  escape  except  through 
these  small  holes,  was  thus  forced  up  violently  through 
them.  At  any  rate,  we  could  not  conceive  any  other 
reason  for  these  strange  water-spouts,  and  as  this  seemed 
a  very  simple  and  probable  one,  we  forthwith  adopted  it. 

"  I  say,  Ralph,  what's  that  in  the  water  ?  Is  it  a 
shark  ? "  said  Jack,  just  as  we  were  about  to  quit  the 
place. 

I  immediately  ran  to  the  overhanging  ledge  of  rock, 
from  which  he  was  looking  down  into  the  sea,  and  bent 
over  it.  There  I  saw  a  very  faint  pale  object  of  a 
greenish  color,  which  seemed  to  move  slightly  while  I 
looked  at  it. 

"  It's  like  a  fish  of  some  sort,"  said  I. 

'k  Hallo,  Peterkin  ! "  cried  Jack,  "  fetch  your  spear  ; 
here's  work  for  it." 

But  when  we  tried  to  reach  the  object,  the  spear 
proved  to  be  too  short. 

"  There,  now,"  said  Peterkin  with  a  sneer,  "  you  were 
always  telling  me  it  was  too  long." 

Jack  now  drove  the  spear  forcibly  towards  the  object, 
and  let  go  his  hold  ;  but,  although  it  seemed  to  be  well 
aimed,  he  must  have  missed,  for  the  handle  soon  rose 
again ;  and  when  the  spear  was  drawn  up,  there  was  the 


THE  COBAL  ISLAND.  89 

pale  green  object  in  exactly  the  same  spot,  slowly  mov- 
ing its  tail. 

"  Wry  odd,"  said  Jack. 

But  although  it  was  undoubtedly  very  odd.  and  al- 
though .Jack  and  all  of  us  plunged  the  spear  at  it  repeat- 
edly, we  could  neither  hit  it  nor  drive  it  away,  so  we 
were  compelled  to  continue  our  journey  without  discov- 
ering what  it  was.  I  was  very  much  perplexed  at  this 
strange  appearance  in  the  water,  and  could  not  get  it  out 
of  my  mind  for  a  long  time  afterwards.  However,  I 
quieted  myself  by  resolving  that  I  would  pay  a  visit  to 
it  Hgain  at  some  more  convenient  season. 


90  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  X. 

MAKE  DISCOVERY  OF  MANY  EXCELLENT  ROOTS  AND  FRUITS  — THE 
RESOURCES  OF  THE  CORAL  ISLAND  GRADUALLY  UNFOLDED  — THE 
BANIAN-TREE  — ANOTHER  TREE  WHICH  IS  SUPPORTED  BY  NATU- 
RAL PLANKS  —  WATER-FOWL  FOUND  —  A  VERY  REMARKABLE  DIS- 
COVERY, AND  A  VERY  PECULIAR  MURDER  — WE  LUXURIATE  ON 
THE  FAT  OF  THE  LAND. 

OUR  examination  of  the  little  valley  proved  to  be 
altogether  most  satisfactory.  We  found  in  it  not 
only  similar  trees  to  those  we  had  already  seen  in  our 
own  valley,  but  also  one  or  two  others  of  a  different  spe- 
cies. We  had  also  the  satisfaction  of  discovering  a  pe- 
culiar vegetable,  which  Jack  concluded  must  certainly  be 
that  of  which  he  had  read  as  being  very  common  among 
the  South  Sea  islanders,  and  which  was  named  taro. 
Also  we  found  a  large  supply  of  yams,  and  another  root 
like  a  potato  in  appearance.  As  these  were  all  quite 
new  to  us,  we  regarded  our  lot  as  a  most  fortunate  one, 
in  being  thus  cast  on  an  island  which  was«se  prolific  and 
so  well  stored  with  all  the  necessaries  of  life.  Long  af- 
terwards we  found  out  that  this  island  of  ours  was  no 
better  in  these  respects  than  thousands  of  other  islands 
in  those  seas.  Indeed,  many  of  them  were  much  richer 
and  more  productive;  but  that  did  not" render  us  the  less 
grateful  for  our  present  good  fortune.  We  each  put  one 
of  these  roots  in  our  pocket,  intending  to  use  them  for 
our  supper ;  of  which  more  hereafter.  We  also  saw 
many  beautiful  birds  here,  and  traces  of  some  four-footed 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  91 

animal  again.     Meanwhile  the  sun  began  to  descend,  so 

we  returned  to  the  shore,  and  pushed  on  round  the  spout- 
ing rocks  into  the  next  valley.  This  was  that  valley  of 
which  I  have  spoken  as  running  across  the  entire  island. 

It  was  by  far  the  largest  and  most  beautiful  that  we  had 
yet  looked  upon.  Here  were  trees  of  every  shape,  and 
size  and  hue  which  it  is  possible  to  conceive  of,  many  of 
which  we  had  not  seen  in  the  other  valleys  ;  for,  the 
stream  in  this  valley  being  larger,  and  the  mould  much 
richer  than  in  the  Valley  of  the  Wreck,  it  was  clothed 
with  a  more  luxuriant  growth  of  trees  and  plants.  Some 
trees  were  dark  glossy  green,  others  of  a  rich  and  warm 
hue,  contrasting  well  with  those  of  a  pale  light  green, 
which  were  everywhere  abundant.  Among  these  we 
recognized  the  broad  dark  heads  of  the  bread-fruit,  with 
its  golden  fruit;  the  pure,  silvery  foliage  of  the  candle- 
nut,  and  several  species  which  bore  a  strong  resemblance 
to  the  pine  ;  while  here  and  there,  in  groups  and  in  sin- 
gle trees,  rose  the  tall  forms  of  the  cocoa-nut  palms, 
spreading  abroad,  and  waving  their  graceful  plumes  high 
above  all  the  rest,  as  if  they  were  a  superior  race  of 
stately  giants  keeping  guard  over  these  luxuriant  forests. 
Oh  !  it  was  a  most  enchanting  scene,  and  I  thanked  God 
for  having  created  such  delightful  spots  for  the  use  of 
man. 

Now,  while  we  were  gazing  around  us  in  silent  ad- 
miration, Jack  uttered  an  exclamation  of  surprise,  and, 
pointing  to  an  object  a  little  to  one  side  of  us,  said, — 

"  That's  a  banian-tree." 

"  And  what's  a  banian-tree  ? "  inquired  Peterkin,  as 
we  walked  towards  it. 

"  A  very  curious  one,  as  you  shall  see  presently^" 
replied  Jack.     "  It  is  called  the  aoa  here,  if  I  recollect 


92  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

rightly,  and  has  a  wonderful  peculiarity  about  it.  What 
an  enormous  one  it  is,  to  be  sure." 

"  It !  "  repeated  Peterkin  ;  "  why,  there  are  dozens  of 
banians  here  !  What  do  you  mean  by  talking  bad  gram- 
mar ?     Is  your  philosophy  deserting  you,  Jack  ?  " 

"  There  is  but  one  tree  here  of  this  kind,"  returned 
Jack,  "  as  you  will  perceive  if  you  will  examine  it." 
And,  sure  enough,  we  did  find  that  what  we  had  sup- 
posed was  a  forest  of  trees  was  in  reality  only  one.  Its 
bark  was  of  a  light  color,  and  had  a  shining  appearance, 
the  leaves  being  lance-shaped,  small,  and  of  a  beautiful 
pea-green.  But  the  wonderful  thing  about  it  was,  that 
the  branches,  which  grew  out  from  the  stem  horizontally, 
sent  down  long  shoots  or  fibres  to  the  ground,  which,  tak- 
ing root,  had  themselves  become  trees,  and  were  covered 
with  bark  like  the  tree  itself.  Many  of  these  fibres  had 
descended  from  the  branches  at  various  distances,  and 
thus  supported  them  on  natural  pillars  some  of  which 
were  so  large  and  strong,  that  it  was  not  easy  at  first  to 
distinguish  the  offspring  from  the  parent  stem.  The 
fibres  were  of  all  sizes  and  in  all  states  of  advancement, 
from  the  pillars  we  have  just  mentioned  to  small  cords 
which  hung  down  and  were  about  to  take  root,  and  thin 
brown  threads  still  far  from  the  ground,  which  swayed 
about  with -every  motion  of  wind.  In  short,  it  seemed  to 
us  that,  if  there  were  only  space  afforded  to  it,  this  single 
tree  would  at  length  cover  the  whole  island. 

Shortly  after  this  we  came  upon  another  remarkable 
tree,  which,  as  its  peculiar  formation  afterwards  proved 
extremely  useful  to  us,  merits  description.  It  was  a 
splendid  chestnut,  but  its  proper  name  Jack  did  not 
know.  However,  there  were  quantities  of  fine  nuts  upon 
it,  some  of  which  we  put  in  our  pockets.     But  its  stem 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

was  the  wonderful  part  of  it.    It  rose  to  about  twelve 
without  a  branch,  and  was  not  of  great  thickness  ;  on  the 
contrary,  it  was  remarkably  slender  for  the  size  of  the 

tree  ;  but,  to  make  up  for  this,  there  were  four  or  five 
wonderful  projections  in  this  Stem,  which  I  cannot  better 
describe  than  by  asking  the  reader  to  suppose  that  five 
planks  of  two  inches  thick  and  three  feet  broad  had 
been  placed  round  the  trunk  of  the  tree,  with  their  edges 
closely' fi^ed  to  it,  from  the  ground  up  to  the  branches, 
and  that  these  planks  had  been  covered  over  with  the 
bark  of  the  tree  and  incorporated  with  it.  In  short,  they 
were  just  natural  buttresses,  without  which  the  stem 
could  not  have  supported  its  heavy  and  umbrageous  top. 
We  found  these  chesnuts  to  be  very  numerous.  They 
grew  chiefly  on  the  banks  of  the  stream,  and  were  of  all 
sizes. 

AVhile  we  were  examining  a  small  tree  of  this  kind, 
Jack  chipped  a  piece  off  a  buttress  with  his  axe,  and 
found  the  wood  to  be  firm  and  easily  cut.  He  then 
struck  the  axe  into  it  with  all  his  force,  and  very  soon 
split  it  off  close  to  the  tree,  first,  however,  having  cut 
it  across  transversely  above  and  below.  By  this  means 
he  satisfied  himself  that  we  could  now  obtain  short 
planks,  as  it  were  all  ready  sawn,  of  any  size  and  thick- 
ness that  we  desired  ;  which  was  a  very  great  discov- 
ery indeed,  perhaps  the  *most  important  we  had  yet 
made. 

We  now  wended  our  way  back  to  the  coast,  intending 
to  encamp  near  the  beach,  as  we  found  that  the  mosqui- 
toes were  troublesome  in  the  forest.  On  our  way  we 
could  not  help  admiring  the  birds  which  flew  and  chirped 
around  us.  Among  them  we  observed  a  pretty  kind  of 
paroquet,   with   a   green  body,  a   blue    head,  and   a   red 


94  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

breast ;  also  a  few  beautiful  turtle-doves,  and  several 
flocks  of  wood-pigeons.  The  hues  of  many  of  these  birds 
were  extremely  vivid,  —  bright  green,  blue,  and  scarlet, 
being  the  prevailing  tints.  We  made  several  attempts 
throughout  the  day  to  bring  down  one  of  these,  both 
with  the  bow  and  the  sling,  —  not  for  mere  sport,  but  to 
ascertain  whether  they  were  good  for  food.  But  we  in- 
variably missed,  although  once  or  twice  we  were  very 
near  hitting.  '  As  evening  drew  on,  however,  a  flock  of 
pigeons  flew  past.  I  slung  a  stone  into  the  midst  of 
them  at  a  venture,  and  had  the  good  fortune  to  kill  one. 
We  were  startled,  soon  after,  by  a  loud,  whistling  noise 
above  our  heads  ;  and  on  looking  up,  saw  a  flock  of  wild 
ducks  making  for  the  coast.  We  watched  these,  and, 
observing  where  they  alighted,  followed  them  up  until  we 
came  upon  a  most  lovely  blue  lake,  not  more  than  two 
hundred  yards  long,  embosomed  in  verdant  trees.  Its 
placid  surface,  which  reflected  every  leaf  and  stem,  as  if 
in  a  mirror,  was  covered  with  various  species  of  wild 
clucks,  feeding  among  the  sedges  and  broad-leaved  water- 
plants  which  floated  on  it,  while  numerous  birds  like 
water-hens  ran  to  and  fro  most  busily  on  its  margin. 
These  all  with  one  accord  flew  tumultuously  away  the 
instant  we  made  our  appearance.  While  walking  along 
the  margin  we  observed  fish  in  the  water,  but  of  what  sort 
we  could  not  tell. 

Now,  as  we  neared  the  shore,  Jack  and  I  said  we 
would  go  a  little  out  of  our  way  to  see  if  we  could  pro- 
cure one  of  those  ducks  ;  so,  directing  Peterkin  to  go 
straight  to  the  shore  and  kindle  a  fire,  we  separated, 
promising  to  rejoin  him  speedily.  But  we  did  not  find 
the  ducks,  although  we  made  a  diligent  search  for  half 
an  hour.     We  were  about  to  retrace  our  steps,  when  we 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  95 

were  arrested  by  one  of  the  strangest  sights  that  we  had 
yet  beheld. 

Just  id  front  of  us.  at  the  distance  of  about  ten  yard-, 
grew  a  superb  tree,  which  certainly  was  the  largest  we 
had  seen  on  die  island.  Its.  trunk  was  at  least  th- 
in diameter,  with  a  smooth,  gray  bark  ;  above  this  the 
spreading  branches  were  clothed  with  light  green  leave-, 
amid  which  were  clusters  of  bright  yellow  fruit,  so  nu- 
merous a-  to  weigh  down  the  boughs  with  their  great 
weight.  This  fruit  seemed  to  be  of  the  plum  species,  of 
an  oblong  form,  and  a  good  deal  larger  than  the  magnum 
bonum  plum.  The  ground  at  tin-  foot  of  this  tree  was 
thickly  strewn  with  the  fallen  fruit,  in  the  midst  of  which 
lay  sleeping,  in  every  possible  attitude,  at  least  twenty 
•  fall  ages  and  sizes,  apparently  quite  surfeited  with 
a  recent  banquet. 

Jack  and  I  could  scarce  restrain  our  laughter  as  we 
gazed  at  these  coarse,  fat,  ill-looking  animals,  while  they 
lay  groaning  and  snoring  heavily  amid  the  remains  of 
their  supper. 

"Now,  Ralph,"  said  Jack,  in  a  low  whisper,  "put  a 
-tone  in  your  sling,  —  a  good  big  one,  —  and  let  fly  at 
that  fat  fellow  with  his  back  toward  you.  I'll  try  to  put 
an  arrow  into  yon  little  pig." 

"  Don't  you  think  we  had  better  put  them  up  first?"  I 
whispered;  "it  seems  cruel  to  kill  them  while  asleep." 

"  If  I  wanted  sport,  Ralph,  I  would  certainly  set 
them  up ;  but  as  we  only  want  pork,  we'll  let  them 
lie.  Besides,  we're  not  sure  of  killing  them;  so,  lire 
away." 

Thus  admonished,  I  slung  my  stone  with  so  good  aim 
that  it  went  bang  against  the  hog's  flank  as  if  against 
the  head  of  a  drum  ;  but  it  had  no  other  effect  than  that 


96  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

of  causing  the  animal  to  start  to  its  feet,  with  a  frightful 
yell  of  surprise,  and  scamper  away.  At  the  same  in- 
stant Jack's  bow  twanged,  and  the  arrow  pinned  the  lit- 
tle pig  to  the  ground  by  the  ear. 

«  I've  missed,  after  all,"  cried  Jack,  darting  forward 
with  uplifted  axe,  while  the  little  pig  uttered  a  loud 
squeal,  tore  the  arrow  from  the  ground,  and  ran  away 
with  it,  along  with  the  whole  drove  into  the  bushes,  and 
disappeared^hough  we  heard  them  screaming  long  after- 
wards in  the  distance. 

"  That's  very  provoking,  now,"  said  Jack,  rubbing  the 
point  of  his  nose. 

"  Very,"  I  replied,  stroking  my  chin. 

"  Well,  we  must  make  haste  and  rejoin  Peterkin,"  said 
Jack.  "  It's  getting  late."  And,  without  further  remark, 
we  threaded  our  way  quickly  through  the  woods  towards 

the  shore. 

When  we  reached  it,  we  found  wood  laid  out,  the  fire 
lighted  and  beginning  to  kindle  up,  with  other  signs  of 
preparation  for  our  encampment,  but  Peterkin  was  no- 
where to  be  found.  We  wondered  very  much  at  this  ; 
but  Jack  suggested  that  he  might  have  gone  to  fetch 
water  ;  so  he  gave  a  shout  to  let  him  know  that  we  had 
arrived,  and  sat  down  upon  a  rock,  while  I  threw  off  my 
jacket  and  seized  the  axe,  intending  to  split  up  one  or 
two  billets  of  wood.  But  I  had  scarce  moved  from  the 
spot  when,  in  the  distance,  we  heard  a  most  appalling 
shriek,  which  was  followed  up  by  a  chorus  of  yells  from 
the  hogs,  and  a  loud  "  hurrah  ! " 

"  I  do  believe,"  said  I,  "  that  Peterkin  has  met  with  the 

hogs." 

"  When  Greek  meets  Greek,"  said  Jack,  soliloquizing, 

"  then  comes  the  tug  of —  " 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  97 

"  Hurrah!"  shouted  Peterkin  in  the  distance. 
We  turned  hastily  towards  the   direction  whence  the 
-.und  came,  and  soon  descried  Peterkin  walking  along  the 
beach  towards  us  with  a  little  pig  transfixed  on  the  end 
of  his  long  spear  ! 

"  Well  dune,  my  boy  ! "  exclaimed  Jack,  slapping  him 
on  the  shoulder  when  he  came  up,  "  you're  the  best  shot 
amongst  us." 

-  Look  here,  Jack!"  cried  Peterkin,  as  he  disengaged 
the  animal  from  his  spear.  "  Do  you  recognize  that  hole? " 
said  he,  pointing  to  the  pig's  ear;  "  and  are  you  familiar 
with  tins  arrow,  eh?" 

"  Well,  I  declare  ! "  said  Jack. 

"  Of  course  you  do,"  interrupted  Peterkin  ;  "but.  pray 
restrain  your  declarations  at  this  time,  and  let's  have' 
supper,  for  I'm  uncommonly  hungry,  I  can  tell  you  ;  and 
h  a  do  joke  to  charge  a  whole  herd  of  swine  with  their 
great-grandmother  bristling  like  a  giant  porcupine  at  the 
head  of  them!" 

We  now  set  about  preparing  supper;  and,  truly,  a 
good  display  of  viands  we  made,  when  all  was  laid  out 
on  a  flat  rock  in  the  light  of  the  blazing  fire.  There  was, 
firs*  of  all,  the  little  pig;  then  there  was  the  taro-root, 
a*d  the  yam,  and  the  potato,  and  six  plums  ;  and,  lastly, 
the  wood-pigeon.  To  these  Peterkin  added  a  bit  of 
sugar-cane,  which  he  had  cut  from  a  little  patch  of  that 
Plant  which  he  had  found  not  long  after  separating  from 
M  J  "and, '  said  he,  «  the  patch  was  somewhat  in  a  square 
form,  which  convinces  me  it  must  have  been  planted  by 
man."  J 

"Very  likely,"  replied  Jack.  "From  all  we  have 
seen,  I'm  inclined  to  think  that  some  of  the  savages  must 
have  dwelt  here  long  ago." 


98  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

We  found  no  small  difficulty  in  making  up  our  minds 
how  we  were  to  cook  the  pig.  None  of  us  had  ever  cut 
up  one  before,  and  we  did  not  know  exactly  how  to  be- 
gin ;  besides,  we  had  nothing  but  the  axe  to  do  it  with, 
our  knife  having  been  forgotten.  At  last  Jack  started 
up  and  said,  — 

"  Don't  let  us  waste  more  time  talking  about  it,  boys. 
Hold  it  up,  Peterkin.  There,  lay  the  hind  leg  on  this 
block  of  wood,  — so;"  and  he  cut  it  off,  with  a  large 
portion  of  the  haunch,  at  a  single  blow  of  the  axe. 
"Now  the  other,  — that's  it."  And  having  thus  cut  off 
the  two  hind  legs,  he  made  several  deep  gashes  in  them, 
thrust  a  sharp-pointed  stick  through  each,  and  stuck 
them  up  before  the  blaze  to  roast.  The  wood-pigeon  was 
then  split  open,  quite  flat,  washed  clean  in  salt  water, 
and  treated  in  a  similar  manner.  While  these  were 
cooking,  we  scraped  a  hole  in  the  sand  and  ashes  under 
the  fire,  into  which  we  put  our  vegetables  and  covered 
them  up. 

The  taro-root  was  of  an  oval  shape,  about  ten  inches 
long  and  four  or  five  thick.  It  was  of  a  mottled-gray 
color,  and  had  a  thick  rind.  We  found  it  somewhat  like 
an  Irish  potato,  and  exceedingly  good.  The  yam  was 
roundish,  and  had  a  rough,  brown  skin.  It  was  very 
sweet  and  well-flavored.  The  potato,  we  were  surprised 
to  find,  was  quite  sweet  and  exceedingly  palatable,  as 
also  were  the  plums ;  and,  indeed,  the  pork  and  pigeon 
too,  when  we  came  to  taste  them.  Altogether  this  was 
decidedly  the  most  luxurious  supper  we  had  enjoyed  for 
many  a  day  ;  and  Jack  said  it  was  out-of-sight  better  than 
we  ever  got  on  board  ship  ;  and  Peterkin  said  he  feared 
that  if  we  should  remain  long  on  the  island  he  would 
infallibly  become  a  glutton  or  an  epicure  ;  whereat  Jack 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 


00 


remarked  that  he  need  not  fear  that,  for  he  waa  both 
rfready  !  And  so,  having  eaten  our  fill,  not  forgetting 
to  frnsh  ofl  with  a  plum,  wo  laid  ourselves  comfortably 
down  to  sleep  upon  a  couch  of  branches,  under  the  over- 
hanging Ledge  of  a  coral  rock. 


100  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

EFFECTS  OF  OVER-EATING.  AND  REFLECTIONS  THEREON  —  HUMBLE 
ADVICE  REGARDING  COLD  WATER  —  THE  "  HORRIBLE  CRY  ■■ 
ACCOUNTED  FOR— THE  CURIOUS  BIRDS  CALLED  PENGUINS  — 
PECULIARITY  OF  THE  COCOA-NUT  PALM  — QUESTIONS  ON  THE 
FORMATION  OF  CORAL  ISLANDS  —  MYSTERIOUS  FOOTSTEPS  — 
STRANGE  DISCOVERIES  AND  SAD  SIGHTS. 

WHEN  we  awoke  on  the  following  morning,  we 
found  that  the  sun  was  already  a  good  way  above 
the  horizon,  so  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  a  heavy 
supper  is  not  conducive  to  early  rising.  Nevertheless, 
we  felt  remarkably  strong  and  well,  and  much  disposed  to 
have  our  breakfast.  First,  however,  we  had  our  custom- 
ary morning  bathe,  which  refreshed  us  greatly. 

I  have  often  wondered  very  much  in  after  years  that 
the  inhabitants  of  my  own  dear  land  did  not  make  more 
frequent  use  of  this  most  charming  element,  —  water.  I 
mean  in  the  way  of  cold  bathing.  Of  course,  I  have  per- 
ceived that  it  is  not  convenient  for  them  to  go  into  the 
sea  or  the  rivers  in  winter,  as  we  used  to  do  on  the  Coral 
Island ;  but  then,  I  knew  from  experience  that  a  large 
washing-tub  and  a  sponge  do  form  a  most  pleasant  sub- 
stitute. The  feelings  of  freshness,  of  cleanliness,  of  vigor, 
and  extreme  hilarity,  that  always  followed  my  bathes 
in  the  sea,  and  even,  when  in  England,  my  ablutions 
in  the  wash-tub,  were  so  delightful,  that  I  would  sooner 
have  gone  without  my  breakfast  than  without  my  bathe 
in  cold  water.     My  readers  will  forgive  me  for  asking 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  ]01 

whether  they  are  in  the  habit  of  bathing  thus  every 
morning  ;  and  if  they  answer  "  No,"  they  will  pardon  me 
for  recommending  them  to  begin  at  once.  Of  late  years, 
since  retiring  from  the  stirring  life  of  adventure  which 
I  have  led  so  long  in  foreign  climes,  I  have  heard  of  a 
system  called  the  cold-water  cure.  Now,  I  do  not  know 
much  about  that  system,  so  I  do  not  mean  to  uphold  it; 
neither  do  I  intend  to  run  it  down.  Perhaps,  in  refer- 
ence to  it,  I  may  just  hint  that  there  may  be  too  much  of 
>d  thing.  I  know  not ;  but  of  this  I  am  quite  cer- 
tain, that  there  may  also  be  too  little  of  a  good  thing; 
and  the  greal  delight  I  have  had  in  cold  bathing  during 
the  course  of  my  adventurous  career  inclines  me  to  think 
that  it  is  better  to  risk  taking  too  much  than  to  content 
-  Self  With  too  little.  Such  is  my  opinion,  derived 
from  much  experience;  but  I  put  it  before  my  readers 
with  the  utmost  diffidence  and  with  profound  modesty, 
knowing  that  it  may  possibly  jar  with  their  feelings  of 
confidence  in  their  own  ability  to  know  and  judge  as  to 
what  is  best  and  fittest  in  reference  to  their  own  affairs. 
But,  to  return  from  this  digression,  for  which  I  humbly 
crave  forgiveness : 

W  e  had  not  advanced  on  our  journey  much  above  a 
mil-'  or  so,  and  were  just  beginning  to  feel  the  pleasant 
-low  that  usually  accompanies  vigorous  exercise,  when, 
on  turning  a  point  that  revealed  to  us  a  new  and  beauti- 
ful cluster  of  islands,  we  were  suddenly  arrested  by  the 
appalling  cry  which  had  so  alarmed  us  a  few  night, 
before.  But  this  time  we  were  by  no  means  so  much 
alarmed  as  on  the  previous  occasion,  because,  whereas 
at  that  time  it  was  night,  now  it  was  day;  and  I  have 
always  found,  though  I  am  unable  to  account  for  it,  thai 


102  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

daylight  banishes  many  of  the  fears  that  are  apt  to  assail 
us  in  the  dark. 

On  hearing  the  sound,  Peterkin  instantly  threw  for- 
ward his  spear. 

"  Now,  what  can  it  be  ?  "  said  he,  looking  round  at 
Jack.  "  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  if  we  are  to  go*  on  being 
pulled  up  in  a  constant  state  of  horror  and  astonish- 
ment, as  we  have  been  for  the  last  week,  the  sooner 
we're  out  o'  this  island  the  better,  notwithstanding  the 
yams  and  lemonade,  and  pork  and  plums !  " 

Peterkin's  remark  was  followed  by  a  repetition  of  the 
cry,  louder  than  before. 

« It  comes  from  one  of  these  islands,"  said  Jack. 
"  It  must  be  the  ghost  of  a  jackass,  then,"  said  Peter- 
kin,  "  for  I  never  heard  anything  so  like." 

We  all  turned  our  eyes  towards  the  cluster  of  islands, 
where,  on  the  largest,  we  observed  curious  objects  mov- 
ing on  the  shore. 

"  Soldiers  they  are,  —  that's  flat ! "  cried  Peterkin, 
gazing  at  them  in  the  utmost  amazement. 

And,  in  truth,  Peterkin's  remark  seemed  to  me  to  be 
correct ;  for,  at  the  distance  from  which  we  saw  them, 
they  appeared  to  be  an  army  of  soldiers.     There  they 
-stood,  rank  and  file,  in  lines  and  in  squares,  marching 
.and  countermarching,  with  blue  coats  and  white  trousers. 
While  we  were  looking  at  them,  the  dreadful  cry  came 
again  over  the  water,  and  Peterkin   suggested   that   it 
must  be  a  regiment  sent  out  to  massacre  the  natives  in 
cold  blood.     At  this  remark  Jack  laughed  and  said,  — 
"  Why,  Peterkin,  they  are  penguins  !  " 
"  Penguins  ?  "  repeated  Peterkin. 
"Ay,  penguins,  Peterkin,  penguins,  —  nothing  more 
or  less  than  big  sea-birds,  as  you  shall  see  one  of  these 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  103 

.lavs,  when  we  pay  them  a  visit  in  our  boat,  which  I 
mean  to  set  about  building  the  moment  we  return  to  our 
bower. " 

"  So,  then,  our  dreadful  yelling  ghosts  and  our  mur- 
dering army  of  soldiers,"  remarked  Peterkin,  "have 
dwindled  down  to  penguins,  —  big  sea-birds  !  Very  good. 
Then  I  propose  that  we  continue  our  journey  as  fast  as 
possible,  lest  our  island  should  be  converted  into  a  dream 
before  we  get  completely  round  it." 

Now,  as  we  continued  on  our  way,  I  pondered  much 
Over  this  new  discovery,  and  the  singular  appearance 
of  these  birds,  of  which  Jack  could  only  give  us  a  very 
slight  ami  vague  account;  and  I  began  to  long  to  corn- 
oaence  on  our  boat,  in  order  that  we  might  go  and  ins 
them  more  narrowly.  But  by  degrees  these  thoughts 
left  me,  and  I  began  to  be  much  taken  up  again  with  the 
interesting  peculiarities  of  the  country  which  we  were 
passing  through. 

The  second  night  we  passed  in  a  manner  somewhat 
similar  to  the  first,  at  about  two  thirds  of  the  way  round 
the  island,  as  we  calculated,  and  we  hoped  to  sleep  on 
the  night  following  at  our  bower.  I  will  not  here  note 
po  particularly  all  that  we  said  and  saw  during  the  course 
of  this  second  day,  as  we  did  not  make  any  further  dis- 
coveries  of  great  importance.  The  shore  along  which 
we  travelled^  and  the  various  parts  of  the  woods  through 
which  we  passed,  were  similar  to  those  which  have  been 
already  treated  of.  There  were  one  or  two  observations 
that  we  made,  however,  and  these  were  as  follows  :  — 

We  saw  that,  while  many  of  the  large  fruit-bearing 
trees  grew  only  in  the  valleys,  and  some  of  them  only 
near  the  banks  of  the  streams,  where  the  soil  was  pecu- 
liarly rich,  the  cocoa-nut  palm  grew  in  every  place  what- 


104  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

soever,  —  not  only  on  the  hill-sides,  but  also  on  the  sea- 
shore, and  even,  as  has  been  already  stated,  on  the  coral 
reef  itself,  where  the  soil,  if  we  may  use  the  name,  was 
nothing  better  than  loose  sand  mingled  with  broken  shells 
and  coral  rock.  So  near  to  the  sea,  too,  did  this  useful 
tree  grow,  that  in  many  places  its  roots  were  washed  by 
the  spray  from  the  breakers.  Yet  we  found  the  trees 
growing  thus  on  the  sands  to  be  quite  as  luxuriant  as 
those  growing  in  the  valleys,  and  the  fruit  as  good  and 
refreshing  also.  Besides  this,  I  noticed  that,  on  the  sum- 
mit of  the  high  mountain,  which  we  once  more  ascended 
at  a  different  point  from  our  first  ascent,  were  found 
abundance  of  shells  and  broken  coral  formations,  which 
Jack  and  I  agreed  proved  either  that  this  island  must 
have  once  been  under  the  sea,  or  that  the  sea  mifst  once 
have  been  above  the  island.  In  other  words,  that  as 
shells  and  coral  could  not  possibly  climb  to  the  mountain 
top,  they  must  have  been  washed  upon  it  while  the 
mountain  top  was  on  a  level  with  the  sea.  We  pondered 
this  very  much ;  and  we  put  to  ourselves  the  question, 
"  What  raised  the  island  to  its  present  height  above  the 
sea?"  But  to  this  we  could  by  no  means  give  to  our- 
selves a  satisfactory  reply.  Jack  thought  it  might  have 
been  blown  up  by  a  volcano ;  and  Peterkin  said  he 
thought  it  must  have  jumped  up  of  its  own  accord !  We 
also  noticed  what  had  escaped  us  before,  that  the  solid 
rocks  of  which  the  island  was  formed  were  quite  differ- 
ent from  the  live  coral  rocks  on  the  shore,  where  the 
wonderful  little  insects  were  continually  working.  They 
seemed,  indeed,  to  be  of  the  same  material,  —  a  sub- 
stance like  limestone  ;  but,  while  the  coral  rocks  were 
quite  full  of  minute  cells  in  which  the  insects  lived,  the 
other  rocks  inland  were  hard  and  solid,  without  the  ap- 


THE   CORAL   ISLAND.  105 

pearance  of  cells  at  all.  Our  thoughts  and  conversations 
on  this  subject  were  sometimes  so  profound  that  Peterkin 
said  we  should  certainly  get  drowned  in  them  at  last, 
even  although  we  were  such  good  divers  !  Nevertheless 
we  did  not  allow  his  pleasantry  on  this  and  similar  points 
to  deter  us  from  making  our  notes  and  observations  as 
we  went  along. 

We  found  several  more  droves  of  hogs  in  the  woods, 
but  abstained  from  killing  any  of  them,  having  more 
than  sufficient  for  our  present  necessities.  We  saw  also 
many  of  their  foot-prints  in  this  neighborhood.  Among 
these  we  also  observed  the  foot-prints  of  a  smaller  ani- 
mal, which  we  examined  with  much  care,  but  could  form 
no  certain  opinion  as  to  them.  Peterkin  thought  they 
were;  those  of  a  little  dog,  but  Jack  and  I  thought  differ- 
ently. We  became  very  curious  on  this  matter,  the  more 
so  that  we  observed  these  foot-prints  to  lie  scattered 
about  in  one  locality,  as  if  the  animal  which  had  made 
them  was  wandering  round  about  in  a  very  irregular 
manner,  and  without  any  object  in  view.  Early  in  the 
forenoon  of  our  third  day  we  observed  these  foot-prints 
to  be  much  more  numerous  than  ever,  and  in  one  par- 
ticular spot  they  diverged  off  into  the  woods  in  a  regular 
beaten  track,  which  was,  however,  so  closely  beset  with 
bushes,  that  we  pushed  through  it  with  difficulty.  We 
had  now  become  so  anxious  to  find  out  what  animal  this 
was,  and  where  it  went  to,  that  we  determined  to  follow 
the  track,  and,  if  possible,  clear  up  the  mystery.  Peter- 
kin said,  in  a  bantering  tone,  that  he  was  sure  it  would 
be  cleared  up  as  usual  in  some  frightfully  simple  way. 
and  prove  to  be  no  mystery  at  all ! 

The  beaten  track  seemed  much  too  large  to  have  been 
formed  by  the  animal  itself,  and  we  concluded  that  some 


106  THE   COEAL  ISLAND. 

larger  animal  had  made  it,  and  that  the  smaller  one 
made  use  of  it.  But  everywhere  the  creeping  plants 
and  tangled  bushes  crossed  our  path,  so  that  we  forced 
our  way  along  with  some  difficulty.  Suddenly,  as  we 
came  upon  an  open  space,  we  heard  a  faint  cry,  and 
observed  a  black  animal  standing  in  the  track  before  us. 

"A  wild-cat !  "  cried  Jack,  fitting  an  arrow  to  his  bow, 
and  discharging  it  so  hastily  that  he  missed  the  animal, 
and  hit  the  earth  about  half  a  foot  to  one  side  of  it.  To 
our  surprise  the  wild-cat  did  not  fly,  but  walked  slowly 
towards  the  arrow,  and  snuffed  at  it. 

"  That's  the  most  comical  wild-cat  I  ever  saw  ! "  cried 
Jack. 

"  It's  a  tame  wild-cat,  I  think,"  said  Peterkin,  levelling 
his  spear  to  make  a  charge. 

"  Stop  !  "  cried  I,  laying  my  hand  on  his  shoulder  ;  "  I 
do  believe  the  poor  beast  is  blind.  See,  it  strikes  against 
the  branches  as  it  walks  along.  It  must  be  a  very  old 
one  ;"  and  I  hastened  towards  it. 

"  Only  think,"  said  Peterkin,  with  a  suppressed  laugh, 
"  of  a  superannuated  wild-cat !  " 

We  now  found  that  the  poor  cat  was  not  only  blind, 
or  nearly  so,  but  extremely  deaf,  as  it  did  not  hear  our 
footsteps  until  we  were  quite  close  behind  it.  Then  it 
sprang  round,  and,  putting  up  its  back  and  tail,  while  the 
black  hair  stood  all  on  end,  uttered  a  hoarse  mew  and 
a  fuff. 

"  Poor  thing,"  said  Peterkin,  gently  extending  his 
hand,  and  endeavoring  to  pat  the  cat's  head.  "  Poor 
pussy ;  chee,  chee,  chee ;  puss,  puss,  puss  ;  cheetie 
pussy !  " 

No  sooner  did  the  cat  hear  these  sounds  than  all  signs 
of  anger  fled,   and,  advancing  eagerly  to  Peterkin,  it 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  107 

allowed  itself  to  be  stroked,  and  rubbed  itself  against 

his  legs,  [(lining  loudly  all  the  time,  and  showing  every 
symptom  of  the  mo.-t  extreme  delight. 

k-ltV  do  more  a  wild-cat  than  I  am!"  cried  Peterkin, 
taking  it  in  his  arms.  "It's  quite  tame.  Poor  pussy, 
cheetie  pussy  ! " 

We  now  crowded  around  Peterkin,  and  were  not  a 
little  surprised,  and,  to  say  truth,  a  good  deal  affected,  by 
the  sight  of  the  poor  animal's  excessive  joy.  It  rubbed 
its  head  against  Peterkin's  cheek,  licked  his  chin,  and 
thrust  its  head  almost  violently  into  his  neck,  while  it 
purred  more  loudly  than  I  ever  heard  a  cat  purr  before, 
and  appeared  to  be  so  much  overpowered  by  its  feel 
that  it  occasionally  mewed  and  purred  almost  in  the  same 
breath.  Such  demonstrations  of  joy  and  affection  led  us 
at  once  to  conclude  that  this  poor  cat  must  have  known 
man  before,  and  we  conjectured  that  it  had  been  left 
either  accidentally  or  by  design  on  the  island  many  years 
ago,  and  was  now  evincing  its  extreme  joy  at  meeting 
once  more  with  human  beings.  While  we  were  fondling 
the  cat  and  talking  about  it,  Jack  glanced  round  the  open 
space  in  the  midst  of  which  we  stood. 

"  Hallo  !  "  exclaimed  he ;  "  this  looks  something  like 
a  clearing.  The  axe  has  been  at  work  here.  Just  look 
at  these  tree-stumps." 

We  now  turned  to  examine  these,  and,  without  doubt, 
we  found  trees  that  had  been  cut  down  here  and  there, 
also  stumps  and  broken  branches  ;  all  of  which,  how- 
ever, were  completely  covered  over  with  moss,  and  bore 
evidence  of  having  been  in  this  condition  for  sonic  years. 
No  human  foot-prints  were  to  be  seen,  either  on  the 
track  or  among  the  bushes  ;  but  those  of  the  cat  were 
found   everywhere.      AVe  now   determined  to  follow  up 


108  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

the  track  as  far  as  it  went,  and  Peterkin  put  the  cat 
clown ;  but  it  seemed  to  be  so  weak,  and  mewed  so  very 
pitifully,  that  he  took  it  up  again  and  carried  it  in  his 
arms,  where,  in  a  few  minutes,  it  fell  sound  asleep. 

About  ten  yards  farther  on,  the  felled  trees  became 
more  numerous,  and  the  track,  diverging  to  the  right, 
followed  for  a  short  space  the  banks  of  a  stream.  Sud- 
denly we  came  to  a  spot  where  once  must  have  been  a 
rude  bridge,  the  stones  of  which  were  scattered  in  the 
stream,  and  those  on  each  bank  entirely  covered  over 
with  moss.  In  silent  surprise  and  expectancy  we  con- 
tinued to  advance,  and,  a  few  yards  farther  on,  beheld, 
under  the  shelter  of  some  breadfruit-trees,  a  small  hut 
or  cottage.  I  cannot  hope  to  convey  to  my  readers  a 
very  correct  idea  of  the  feelings  that  affected  us  on 
witnessing  this  unexpected  sight.  We  stood  for  a  long 
time  in  silent  wonder,  for  there  was  a  deep  and  most 
melancholy  stillness  about  the  place  that  quite  over- 
powered us  ;  and  when  we  did  at  length  speak,  it  was 
in  subdued  whispers,  as  if  we  were  surrounded  by  some 
awful  or  supernatural  influence.  Even  Peterkin's  voice, 
usually  so  quick  and  lively  on  all  occasions,  was  hushed 
now ;  for  there  was  a  dreariness  about  this  silent,  lonely, 
uninhabited  cottage,  —  so  strange  in  its  appearance,  so 
far  away  from  the  usual  dwellings  of  man,  so  old,  de- 
cayed, and  deserted  in  its  aspect,  —  that  fell  upon  our 
spirits  like  a  thick  cloud,  and  blotted  out  as  with  a  pall 
the  cheerful  sunshine  that  had  filled  us  since  the  com- 
mencement of  our  tour  round  the  island. 

The  hut  or  cottage  was  rude  and  simple  in  its  con- 
struction. It  was  not  more  than  twelve  feet  long  by  ten 
feet  broad,  and  about  seven  or  eight  feet  high.  It  had 
one  window,  or  rather  a  small  frame  in  which  a  window 


THE    CORAL    ISLAND.  L09 

might,  perhaps,   once  have  been,   but   which  was    now 

empty.  The  door  was  exceedingly  low,  and  formed  of 
rough  boards,  and  the  roof  was  covered  with  broad 
cocoa-nut  and  plantain  leaves.  But  every  part  of  it 
waa  in  a  state  of  the  utmost  decay.  Moss  and  green 
matter  grew  in  spots  all  over  it.  The  wood-work  was 
quite  perforated  with  holes;  the  roof  had  nearly  fallen 
in,  and  appeared  to  be  prevented  from  doing  so  al- 
together  by  the  thick  matting  of  creeping-plants  and  the 
interlaced  branches  which  years  of  neglect  had  allowed 
to  cover  it  almost  entirely  ;  while  the  thick,  luxuriant 
branches  of  the  breadfruit  and  other  trees  spread  above 
it.  and  flung  a  deep,  sombre  shadow  over  the  spot,  as 
if  to  guard  it  from  the  heat  and  the  light  of  day.  "We 
conversed  long  and  in  whispers  about  this  strange  habita- 
tion ere  we  ventured  to  approach  it ;  and  when  at  length 
we  did  so,  it  was,  at  least  on  my  part,  with  feelings  of 
awe. 

At  first  Jack  endeavored  to  peep  in  at  the  window, 
but  from  the  deep  shadow  of  the  trees  already  mentioned, 
and  the  gloom  within,  he  could  not  clearly  discern  ob- 
jects ;  so  we  lifted  the  latch  and  pushed  open  the  door. 
We  observed  that  the  latch  was  made  of  iron,  and  almost 
eaten  away  with  rust.  In  the  like  condition  were  also 
the  hinges,  which  creaked  as  the  door  swung  back.  On 
entering,  we  stood  still  and  gazed  around  us,  while  we 
were  much  impressed  with  the  dreary  stillness  of  the 
room.  But  what  we  saw  there  surprised  and  shocked 
us  not  a  little.  There  was  no  furniture  in  the  apartment 
save  a  little  wooden  stool  and  an  iron  pot,  the  latter 
almost  eaten  through  with  rust.  In  the  corner  farthest 
from  the  door  was  a  low  bedstead,  on  which  lay  two 
skeletons,  imbedded  in  a  little  heap  of  dry  dust.     With 


110  THE   COIJAL  ISLAND. 

beating  hearts  we  went  forward  to  examine  them.  One 
was  the  skeleton  of  a  man,  the  other  that  of  a  clog,  which 
was  extended  close  beside  that  of  the  man,  with  its  head 
resting  on  his  bosom. 

Now  we  were  very  much  concerned  about  this  dis- 
covery, and  could  scarce  refrain  from  tears  on  beholding 
these  sad  remains.  After  some  time,  we  began  to  talk 
about  what  we  had  seen,  and  to  examine  in  and  around 
the  hut,  in  order  to  discover  some  clue  to  the  name  or 
history  of  this  poor  man,  who  had  thus  died  in  solitude, 
with  none  to  mourn  his  loss  save  his  cat  and  his  faithful 
dog.  But  we  found  nothing,  —  neither  a  book  nor  a 
scrap  of  paper.  We  found,  however,  the  decayed  rem- 
nants of  what  appeared  to  have  been  clothing,  and  an 
old  axe.  But  none  of  these  things  bore  marks  of  any 
kind ;  and,  indeed,  they  were  so  much  decayed  as  to  con- 
vince us  that  they  had  lain  in  the  condition  in  which  we 
found  them  for. many  years. 

This  discovery  now  accounted  to  us  for  the  tree  stump 
at  the  top  of  the  mountain  with  the  initials  cut  on  it ;  also 
for  the  patch  of  sugar-cane  and  other  traces  of  man  which 
we  had  met  with  in  the  course  of  our  rambles  over  the 
island.  And  we  were  much  saddened  by  the  reflection 
that  the  lot  of  this  poor  wanderer  might  possibly  be  our 
own,  after  many  years'  residence  on  the  island,  unless  we 
should  be  rescued  by  the  visit  of  some  vessel  or  the 
arrival  of  natives.  Having  no  clue  whatever  to  account 
for  the  presence  of  this  poor  human  being  in  such  a 
lonely  spot,  we  fell  to  conjecturing  what  could  have 
brought  him  there.  I  was  inclined  to  think  that  he  must 
have  been  a  shipwrecked  sailor,  whose  vessel  had  been 
lost  here,  and  all  the  crew  been  drowned  except  himself 
and  his  dog  and  cat.     But  Jack  thought  it  more  likely 


THE  CORAL   ISLAND.  Ill 

thai  he  had  run  awa*y  from  his  vessel,  and  taken  the  dog 
and  eat  to  keep  him  company.  We  were  also  much 
occupied  in  our  minds  with  the  wonderful  difference  be- 
tween  the  cat  and  the  dog.  For  here  we  saw  that  while 
the  one  perished,  like  a  loving  friend,  by  its  master's  side, 
with  its  head  resting  on  his  bosom,  the  other  had  sought 
to  Bustain  itself  by  prowling  abroad  in  the  forest,  and  had 
lived  in  solitude  to  a  good  old  age.  However,  we  did 
not  conclude  from  this  that  the  cat  was  destitute  of  affec- 
tion, for  we  could  not  forget  its  emotions  on  first  meeting 
with  us  :  but  we  saw  from  this,  that  the  dog  had  a  great 
deal  more  of  generous  love  in  its  nature  than  the  eat, 
because  it  not  only  found  it  impossible  to  live  after  the 
death  of  its  master,  but  it  must  needs,  when  it  came  to 
•lie  crawl  to  his  side  and  rest  its  head  upon  his  lifeless 
breast. 

While  we  were  thinking  on  these  tilings,  and  examin- 
ing into  everything  about  the  room,  we  were  attracted 
by  an  exclamation  from  Peterkin. 

"  I  say.  Jack."  said  he,  "  here  is  something  that  will  be 
of  use  to  us." 

-  What  is  it,"  said  Jack,  hastening  across  the  room. 

"  An  old  pistol,"  replied  Peterkin,  holding  up  the 
weapon,  which  he  had  just  pulled  from  under  a  heap  of 
broken  wood  and  rubbish  that  lay  in  a  corner. 

"  That,  indeed,  might  have  been  useful,"  said  Jack, 
examining  it.  "  if  Ave  had  any  powder  ;  but  I  suspect  the 
bow  and  the  sling  will  prove  more  serviceable." 

"  True,  I  forgot  that,"  said  Peterkin  ;  "but  we  may  as 
well  take  it  with  us,  for  the  flint  will  serve  to  strike  fire 
with  when  the  sun  does  not  shine." 

After  having  spent  more  than  an  hour  at  this  place 
without  discovering  anything  of  further  interest,  Peterkin 


112  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

took  up  the  old  cat,  which  had  lain  very  contentedly 
asleep  on  the  stool  whereon  he  had  placed  it,  and  we  pre- 
pared to  take  our  departure.  In  leaving  the  hut,  Jack 
stumbled  heavily  against  the  door-post,  which  was  so 
much  decayed  as  to  break  across,  and  the  whole  fabric  of 
the  hut  seemed  ready  to  tumble  about  our  ears.  This 
put  into  our  heads  that  we  might  as  well  pull  it  down, 
and  so  form  a  mound  over  the  skeleton.  Jack,  therefore, 
with  his  axe,  cut  down  the  other  door-post,  which,  when 
it  was  done,  brought  the  whole  hut  in  ruins  to  the  ground, 
and  thus  formed  a  grave  to  the  bones  of  the  poor  recluse 
and  his  dog.  Then  we  left  the  spot,  having  brought 
away  the  iron  pot,  the  pistol,  and  the  old  axe,  as  they 
might  be  of  much  use  to  us  hereafter. 

During  the  rest  of  this  day  we  pursued  our  journey, 
and  examined  the  other  end  of  the  large  valley,  which 
we  found  to  be  so  much  alike  to  the  parts  already  de- 
scribed, that  I  shall  not  recount  the  particulars  of  what 
we  saw  in  this  place.  I  may,  however,  remark,  that  we 
did  not  quite  recover  our  former  cheerful  spirits  until  we 
arrived  at  our  bower,  which  we  did  late  in  the  evening, 
and  found  everything  just  in  the  same  condition  as  we 
had  left  it  three  days  before. 


THE   CORAL    ISLAND.  j  |  3 


CHAPTER   XTT. 

SOMETHING  WKONG  WTTTI  TTIE  TANK- JACK'S  WISDOM  WD  PFTFR 
KINS    [MPERTINENCB-WONDBRFIII   BEHAVIOR   OF  A    CIUB- 
GOOD  WISHES  TOB  THOSE  WHO   DWELL   FAB  FBOM  THE  SEA 
JACK  COMMENCES  TO  BUILD  A  LITTLE  BOAT. 

T)  EST  is  sweel  as  well  for  the  body  as  for  the  mind. 
11  During  mylong  experience,  amid  the  vicissitudes 
of  o  checkered  life,  I  have  found  that  periods  of  profound 
rest  al  certain  intervals,  in  addition  to  the  ordinary  hours 
of  repose,  are  necessary  to  the  well-being  of  man.  And  the 
nature  as  well  as  the  period  of  this  rest  varies,  according 
to  the  different  temperaments  of  individuals,  and  the  pecu" 
liar  circumstances  in  which  they  may  chance  to  be  placed. 
To  those  who  work  with  their  minds,  bodily  labor  is  rest 
To  those  who  labor  with  the  body,  deep  sleep  is  rest.' 
J<)  the  downcast,  the  weary,  and  the  sorrowful,  joy  and 
peace  are  rest.     Nay,  further,  I  think  that  to  the   -ay 
the  frivolous,  the  reckless,  when  sated  with  pleasures  that 
cannot    last,  even   sorrow  proves   to   be   rest  of  a   kind. 
although,  perchance,  it  were  better  that  I  should  call  it 
relief  than  ret.     There  is,  indeed,  but  one  class  of  men 
to  whom  rest  is  denied.     There  is  no  rest  to  the  wicked 
At  tins  I  do  but  hint,  however,  as  I  treat  not  of  that  rest 
Which  is  spiritual,  but  more  particularly,  of  that  which 
applies  to  the  mind  and  to  the  body. 

Of  this  rest  we  stood  much  in  need  on  our  return  home, 
and  we  found  it  exceedingly  sweet,  when  we  indulged  in 


114  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

it,  after  completing  the  journey  just  related.     It  had  not, 
indeed,  been  a  very  long  journey,  nevertheless  we  had 
pursued  it  so  diligently  that  our  frames  were  not  a  little 
prostrated.     Our  minds  were  also  very  much  exhausted 
in  consequence  of  the  many  surprises,  frequent  alarms, 
and  much  profound  thought,  to  which  they  had  been  sub- 
jected ;  so  that  when  we  lay  down  on  the  night  of  our 
return  under  the  shelter  of  the  bower,  we  fell  immediately 
into  very  deep  repose.     I  can  state  this  with  much  cer- 
tainty, for  Jack  afterwards  admitted  the  fact,  and  Peter- 
kin,  although  he  stoutly  denied  it,  I  heard  snoring  loudly 
at  least  two  minutes  after  lying  down.     In  this  condition 
we  remained  all  night  and  the  whole  of  the  following  day 
without  awaking  once,  or  so  much  as  moving  our  posi- 
tions.    When  we  did  awake  it  was  near  sunset,  and  we 
were  all  in  such  a  state  of  lassitude  that  we  merely  rose 
to  swallow  a  mouthful  of  food.     As  Peterkin  remarked, 
in  the  midst  of  a  yawn,  we  took  breakfast  at  tea-time, 
and  then  went  to  bed  again,  where  we  lay  till  the  follow- 
ing forenoon. 

After  this  we  arose  very  greatly  refreshed,  but  much 
alarmed  lest  we  had  lost  count  of  a  day.  I  say  we  were 
much  alarmed  on  this  head,  for  we  had  carefully  kept 
count  of  the  days  since  we  were  cast  upon  our  island,  in 
order  that  we  might  remember  the  Sabbath-day,  which 
day  we  had  hitherto  with  one  accord  kept  as  a  day  of 
rest,  and  refrained  from  all  work  whatsoever.  However, 
on  considering  the  subject,  we  all  three  entertained  the 
same  opinion  as  to  how  long  we  had  slept,  and  so  our 
minds  were  put  at  ease. 

We  now  hastened  to  our  Water  Garden  to  enjoy  a 
bathe,  and  to  see  how  did  the  animals  which  I  had  placed 
in  the  tank.    We  found  the  garden  more  charming,  pellu- 


THE    CORAL  ISLAND.  }  j  5 

cid,  and  inviting  than  ever,  and  Jack  and  I  plunged  into 
its  depth,  and  gambolled  among  its  radiant  coral  groves  ; 
while  Peterkin  wallowed  at  the  surface,  and  tried  occa- 
sionally to  kick  us  as  we  passed  below.  Having  dr 
I  then  hastened  to  the  tank  ;  but  what  was  my  surprise 
and  grief  to  find  nearly  all  the  animals  dead,  and  the 
water  in  a  putrid  condition  !  I  was  greatly  distressed  at 
this,  and  wondered  what  could  be  the  cause  of  it. 

"  Why,  you  precious  humbug,"  said  Peterkin,  coming 
up  to  me,  -how  could  you  expect  it  to  be  otherwise? 
When  fishes  are  accustomed  to  live  in  the  Pacific  Ocean, 
how  can  you  expect  them  to  exist  in  a  hole  like  that  ?" 

"  Indeed,  Peterkin,"  I  replied,  "  there  seems  to  be  truth 
in  what  you  say.  Nevertheless,  now  I  think  of  it,  there 
must  be  some  error  in  your  reasoning  ;  for,  if  I  put  in 
but  a  few  very  small  animals,  they  will  bear  the  same 
proportion  to  this  pond  that  the  millions  of  fish  bear  to 
the  ocean." 

"  I  say,  Jack,"  cried  Peterkin,  waving  his  hand,  «  come 
here,  like  a  good  fellow.  Ralph  is  actually  talking  phi- 
losophy. Do  come  to  our  assistance,  for  he's  out  o^  sight 
beyond  me  already  ! " 

"  What's  the  matter?"  inquired  Jack,  coming  up,  while 
he  endeavored  to  scrub  his  long  hair  dry  with  a  towel  of 
cocoa-nut  cloth. 

I  repeated  my  thoughts  to  Jack,  who  I  was  happy  to 
find,  quite  agreed  with  me.  «  Your  best  plan,"  he  said, 
"  will  be  to  put  very  few  animals  at  first  into  your  tank,' 
and  add  more  a.  you  find  it  will  bear  them.  And  look 
j)ere>"  he  added,  pointing  to  the  sides  of  the  tank,  which, 
for  the  space  of  two  inches  above  the  water-level,  were 
incrusted  with  salt,  "you  must  carry  your  philosophy  a 
little  farther,  Ralph.    That  water  has  evaporated  so  much 


1X6  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

that  it  is  too  salt  for  anything  to  live  in.  You  will  re- 
quire to  add  fresh  water  now  and  then,  in  order  to  keep 
it  at  the  same  degree  of  saltness  as  the  sea." 

"  Very  true,  Jack,  that  never  struck  me  before," 
said  I. 

"  And,  now  I  think  of  it,"  continued  Jack,  "  it  seems 
to  me  that  the  surest  way  of  arranging  your  tank  so  as 
to  get  it  to  keep  pure  and  in  good  condition,  will  be  to 
imitate  the  ocean  in  it.  In  fact  make  it  a  miniature  Pa- 
cific. I  don't  see  how  you  can  hope  to  succeed  unless 
you  do  that." 

«  Most  true,"  said  I,  pondering  what  my  companion 
said.     "  But  I  fear  that  that  will  be  very  difficult." 

"Not  at  all,"  cried  Jack,  rolling  his  towel  up  into  a 
ball,  and  throwing  it  into  the  face  of  Peterkin,  who  had 
been  grinning  and  winking  at  him  during  the  last  five 
minutes.  "  Not  at  all.  Look  here.  There  is  water  of 
a  certain  saltness  in  the  sea ;  well,  fill  your  tank  with 
sea-water,  and  keep  it  at  that  saltness  by  marking  the 
height  at  which  the  water  stands  on  the  sides.  When  it 
evaporates  a  little,  pour  in  fresh  water  from  the  brook 
till  it  comes  up  to  the  mark,  and  then  it  will  be  right,  for 
the  salt  does  not  evaporate  with  the  water.  Then,  there's 
lots  of  sea-weed  in  the  sea;  — well,  go  and  get  one  or 
two  bits  of  sea-weed,  and  put  them  into  your  tank.  Of 
course  the  weed  must  be  alive,  and  growing  to  little 
stones  ;  or  you  can  chip  a  bit  off  the  rocks  with  the 
weed  sticking  to  it.  Then,  if  you  like,  you  can  throw  a 
little  sand  and  gravel  into  your  tank,  and  the  thing's 
complete." 

"  Nay,  not  quite,"  said  Peterkin,  who  had  been  gravely 
attentive  to  this  off-hand  advice,  "  not  quite  ;  you  must 
first  make  three  little  men  to  dive  in  it  before  it  can  be 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  117 

said  to  be  perfect,  and  that  would  be  rather  difficult,  I 
fear,  for  two  of  them  would  require  to  be  philosophers. 
But  hullo!  what's  this?  I  say,  Ralph,  look  here.  There's 
one  o'  your  crabs  up  to  something  uncommon.  It's  per- 
forming the  most  remarkable  operation  for  a  crab  I  ever, 
saw,  —  taking  off  its  coat,  I  do  believe,  before  going  to 
bed  I" 

We  hastily  stooped  over  the  tank,  and  certainly  were 
not  a  little  amused  at  the  conduct  of  one  of  the  crabs 
which  still  survived  its  companions.  It  was  one  of  the 
common  small  crabs,  like  to  those  that  are  found  running 
about  everywhere  on  the  coasts  of  England.  While  we 
gazed  at  it,  we  observed  its  back  to  split  away  from  the. 
lower  part  of  its  body,  and  out  of  the  gap  thus  formed 
came  a  soft  lump  which  moved  and  writhed  unceasingly. 
This  lump  continued  to  increase  in  size  until  it  appeared 
like  a  bunch  of  crab's  legs  ;  and,  indeed,  such  it  proved 
in  a  very  few  minutes  to  be  ;  for  the  points  of  the  toes 
wire  at  length  extricated  from  this  hole  in  its  back,  the 
legs  spread  out,  the  body  followed,  and  the  crab  walked 
away  quite  entire,  even  to  the  points  of  its  nipper-claws, 
leaving  a  perfectly  entire  shell  behind  it,  so  that,  when 
we  looked,  it  seemed  as  though  there  were  two  complete 
crabs  instead  of  one  ! 

"  Well  !  "  exclaimed  Peterkin,  drawing  a  long  breath, 
"  I've  heard  of  a  man  jumping  out  of  his  skin  and  sitting 
down  in  his  skeleton  in  order  to  cool  himself,  but  I  never 
expected  to  sec  a  crab  do  it ! " 

AVe  were,  in  truth,  much  amazed  at  this  spectacle,  and 
the  more  so  when  we  observed  that  the  new  crab  was 
larger  than  the  crab  that  it  came  out  of.  It  was  also 
quite  soft,  but  by  next  morning  its  skin  had  hardened 
into  a  good  shell.     We  came   thus  to  know  that   crabs 


118  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

grow  in  this  way,  and  not  by  the  growing  of  their  shells, 
as  we  had  always  thought  before  we  saw  this  wonderful 
operation. 

Now  I  considered  well  the  advice  which  Jack  had 
given  me  about  preparing  my  tank,  and  the  more  I 
thought  of  it,  the  more  I  came  to  regard  it  as  very  sound 
and  worthy  of  being  acted  on.  So  I  forthwith  put  his 
plan  in  execution,  and  found  it  to  answer  excellently 
well,  indeed,  much  beyond  my  expectation  ;  for  I  found 
that  after  a  little  experience  had  taught  me  the  proper 
proportion  of  sea-weed  and  animals  to  put  into  a  certain 
amount  of  water,  the  tank  needed  no  further  attendance  ; 
and  moreover,  I  did  not  require  ever  afterwards  to  renew 
or  change  the  sea-water,  but  only  to  add  a  very  little 
fresh  water  from  the  brook,  now  and  then,  as  the  other 
evaporated.  I  therefore  concluded  that  if  I  had  been 
suddenly  conveyed,  along  with  my  tank,  into  some  region 
where  there  was  no  salt  sea  at  all,  my  little  sea  and  my 
sea-fish  would  have  continued  to  thrive  and  to  prosper  not- 
withstanding. This  made  me  greatly  to  desire  that  those 
people  in  the  world  who  live  far  inland  might  know  of 
my  wonderful  tank,  and,  by  having  materials  like  those 
of  which  it  was  made  conveyed  to  them,  thus  be  enabled 
to  watch  the  habits  of  those  most  mysterious  animals  that 
reside  in  the  sea,  and  examine  with  their  own  eyes  the 
wonders  of  the  great  deep. 

For  many  clays  after  this,  while  Peterkin  and  Jack 
were  busily  employed  in  building  a  little  boat  out  of  the 
curious  natural  planks  of  the  chesnut-tree,  I  spent  much 
of  my  time  in  examining  with  the  burning-glass  the  mar- 
vellous operations  that  were  constantly  going  on  in  my 
tank.  Here  I  saw  those  anemones  which  cling,  like  little 
red,  yellow,  and  green  blobs  of  jelly,  to  the  rocks,  put 


THE   CORAL    ISLAND.  119 

forth,  as  it  were,  a  multitude  of  arms  and  wait  till  little 
fish  or  other  small  animalcules  unwarily  touched  them, 
wh.n  they  would  instantly  seize  them,  fold  arm  after  arm 
around  their  victims,  and  so  engulf  them  in  their  stom- 
achs.    Here  J   saw  the  ceaseless  working  of  those  little 
coral  insects  whose  efforts  have  incrusted  the  islands  of 
the  Pacific  with  vast  rocks,  and  surrounded  them  with 
enormous    reefs.     And   I  observed   that  many  of  i 
insects,  though  extremely  minute,  were  very  beautiful, 
coining  out  of  their  holes  in  a  circle  of  fine  threads,  and 
having  the  form  of  a  shuttlecock.     Here  I  saw  curious 
little   barnacles  opening  a  hole  in  their  backs  and  con- 
stantly putting  out  a  thin,  feathery  hand,  with  which,  I 
doubt   not,  they  dragged   their  food   into   their   mouth-. 
Here  also,  I  saw  those  crabs  which  have  shells  only  on 
the  front  of  their  bodies,  but  no  shell  whatever  on  their 
remarkably  tender  tails,  so  that,  in  order  to  find  a  pro- 
tection to  them,  they  thrust  them  into  the  empty  shells 
of  wilks,  or  some  such  fish,  and  when  they  grow  too  big 
for  one,  change  into  another.     But  most  curious  of  all,  I 
saw  an  animal  which  had  the  wonderful  power,  when  it 
became  ill,  of  casting  its  stomach  and  its  teeth  away  from 
it,  and  getting  an  entirely  new  set  in  the  course  of  a  few 
months  !    All  this  I  saw,  and  a  great  deal  more,  by  means 
of  my  tank  and  my  burning-glass,  but  I  refrain  from  set- 
ting down  more  particulars  here,  as  I  have  still  much  to 
tell  of  the  adventures  that  befell  us  while  we  remained 
on  this  island. 


120  THE    CORAL  ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

NOTABLE  DISCOVERY  AT  THE  SPOUTING  CLIFFS  —  THE  MYSTERI- 
OUS GREEN  MONSTER  EXPLAINED  —  WE  ARE  THROWN  INTO 
UNUTTERABLE  TERROR  BY  THE  IDEA  THAT  JACK  IS  DROWNED 
—THE   DIAMOND    CAYE. 

COME,  Jack,"  cried  Peterkin,  one  morning  about 
three  weeks  after  our  return  from  our  long  excur- 
sion, "  let's  be  jolly  to-day,  and  do  something  vigorous. 
I'm  quite  tired  of  hammering  and  hammering,  hewing 
and  screwing,  cutting  and  butting,  at  that  little  boat  of 
ours,  that  seems  as  hard  to  build  as  Noah's  ark  ;  let  us 
go  on  an  excursion  to  the  mountain  top,  or  have  a  hunt 
after  the  wild  ducks,  or  make  a  dash  at  the  pigs.  I'm 
quite  flat  —  flat  as  bad  ginger-beer  —  flat  as  a  pancake  ; 
in  fact,  I  want  something  to  rouse  me,  to  toss  me  up,  as 
it  were.     Eh  !  what  do  you  say  to  it  ?  " 

"  Well,"  answered  Jack,  throwing  down  the  axe  with 
which  he  was  just  about  to  proceed  towards  the  boat, 
"  if  that's  what  you  want,  I  would  recommend  you  to 
•make  an  excursion  to  the  water-spouts  ;  the  last  one  we 
had  to  do  with  tossed  you  up  a  considerable  height,  per- 
haps the  next  will  send  you  higher,  who  knows,  if  you're 
at  all  reasonable  or  moderate  in  your  expectations  !  " 

"  Jack,  my  clear  boy,"  said  Peterkin,  gravely,  "  you 
are  really  becoming  too  fond  of  jesting.  It's  a  thing  I 
don't  at  all  approve  of,  and  if  you  don't  give  it  up,  I  fear 
that,  for  our  mutual  good,  we  shall  have  to  part." 


THE    CORAL   ISLAND.  121 

"  Well,  then,  Peterkin,"  replied  Jack,  with   a   smile, 

k-  \vli:i!  would  you  have  ?  " 

"Have?"  said  Peterkin,  "I  would  have  nothing.  I 
didn't  say  I  wanted  to  have ;  I  said  that  I  wanted  to 
dor 

"  T>y  the  by,"  said  I,  interrupting  their  conversation, 
"  I  am  reminded  by  this  that  we  have  not  yet  discovered 
the  nature  of  yon  curious  appearance  that  we  saw  near 
the  water-spouts,  on  our  journey  round  the  island.  Per- 
haps  it  would  lie  well  to  go  for  that  purpose." 

••  Humph!"  ejaculated  Peterkin,  "  I  know  the  nature 
of  it  well  enough." 

"What  was  it?"  said  I. 

"  It  was  of  a  mysterious  nature  to  be  sure  ! u  said  he, 
with  a  wave  of  his  hand,  while  he  rose  from  the  log  on 
which  he  had  been  sitting,  and  buckled  on  his  belt,  into 
which  he  thrust  his  enormous  club. 

"  Well,  then,  let  us  away  to  the  water-spouts,"  cried 
Jack,  going  up  to  the  bower  for  his  bow  and  arrows  ; 
''and  bring  your  spear,  Peterkin.     It  may  be  useful." 

We  now,  having  made  up  our  minds  to  examine  into 
this  matter,  sallied  forth  eagerly  in  the  direction  of  the 
water-spout  rocks,  which,  as  I  have  before  mentioned, 
were  not  far  from  our  present  place  of  abode.  On  arriv- 
ing there  we  hastened  down  to  the  edge  of  the  rocks, 
and  gazed  over  into  the  sea,  where  we  observed  the  pale- 
green  object  still  distinctly  visible,  moving  its  tail  slowly 
to  and  fro  in  the  water. 

"  Most  remarkable  !  "  said  Jack. 

"  Exceedingly  curious,"  said  I. 

"Beat-  everything!"  said  Peterkin. 

"Now,  Jack,"  he  added,  "you  made  such  a  poor  figure 
in  your  last  attempt  to  stick  that  object,  that  I  would  ad- 


122  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

vise  you  to  let  me  try  it.  If  it  has  got  a  heart  at  all,  I'll 
engage  to  send  my  spear  right  through  the  core  of  it ; 
if  it  hasn't  got  a  heart,  I'll  send  it  through  the  spot  where 
its  heart  ought  to  be." 

"  Fire  away,  then,  my  boy,"  replied  Jack  with  a 
laugh. 

Peterkin  immediately  took  the  spear,  poised  it  for  a 
second  or  two  above  his  head,  then  darted  it  like  an 
arrow  into  the  sea.  Down  it  went  straight  into  the 
centre  of  the  green  object,  passed  quite  through  it, 
and  came  up  immediately  afterwards,  pure  and  un- 
sullied, while  the  mysterious  tail  moved  quietly  as  be- 
fore ! 

"  Now,"  said  Peterkin,  gravely,  "  that  brute  is  a  heart- 
less monster ;  I'll  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  it." 

"  I'm  pretty  sure  now."  said  Jack,  "  that  it  is  merely 
a  phosphoric  light ;  but  I  must  say  I'm  puzzled  at  its 
staying  always  in  that  exact  spot." 

I  also  was  much  puzzled,  and  inclined  to  think  with 
Jack  that  it  must  be  phosphoric  light ;  of  which  lumin- 
ous appearance  we  had  seen  much  while  on  our  voyage 
to  these  seas.  "  But,"  said  I,  "  there  is  nothing  to  hinder 
us  from  diving  down  to  it,  now  that  we  are  sure  it  is  not 
a  shark." 

"  True,"  returned  Jack,  stripping  off  his  clothes  ;  "  I'll 
go  down,  Ralph,  as  I'm  better  at  diving  than  you  are. 
Now  then,  Peterkin,  out  o'  the  road ! "  Jack  stepped 
forward,  joined  his  hands  above  his  head,  bent  over  the 
rocks,  and  plunged  into  the  sea.  For  a  second  or  two 
the  spray  caused  by  his  dive  hid  him  from  view,  then 
the  water  became  still,  and  we  saw  him  swimming  far 
down  in  the  midst  of  the  green  object.  Suddenly  he 
sank  below  it,  and  vanished  altogether  from  our  sight ! 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  123 

We  gazed  anxiously  down  at  the  spot  where  he  had 
disappeared,  for  nearly  a  minute,  expecting  every  mo- 
ment to  see  him  rise  again  for  breath  :  but  fully  a 
minute  passed,  and  still  he  did  not  reappear.  Two 
minutes  passed!  and  then  a  flood  of  alarm  rushed  in 
upon  my  soul,  when  I  considered  that,  during  all  my 
acquaintance  with  him,  Jack  had  never  stayed  under 
water  more  than  a  minute  at  a  time ;  indeed  seldom 
so  long. 

"  Oh,  Peterkin  !  "  I  said,  in  a  voice  that  trembled  with 
increa.-ing  anxiety,  u  something  has  happened.  It  is 
more  than  three  minutes  now!"  But  Peterkin  did  not 
answer,  and  I  observed  that  he  was  gazing  down  into 
the  water  with  a  look  of  intense  fear  mingled  with 
anxiety,  while  his  face  was  overspread  with  a  deadly 
paleness.  Suddenly  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  rushed 
about  in  a  frantic  state,  wringing  his  hands,  and  exclaim- 
ing, "  Oh,  Jack,  Jack  !  he  is  gone  !  It  must  have  been 
a  shark,  and  he  is  gone  forever  !  " 

For  the  next  five  minutes  I  know  not  what  I  did. 
The  intensity  of  my  feelings  almost  bereft  me  of  my 
senses.  But  I  was  recalled  to  myself  by  Peterkin  seiz- 
ing me  by  the  shoulder  and  staring  wildly  into  my  face, 
while  he  exclaimed,  "  Ralph  !  Ralph !  perhaps  he  has 
only  fainted.     Dive  for  him,  Ralph  !  " 

It  seemed  strange  that  this  did  not  occur  to  me  sooner. 
In  ;i  moment  I  rushed  to  the  edge  of  the  rocks,  and, 
without  waiting  to  throw  off  my  garments,  was  on  the 
point  to  spring  into  the  waves,  when  I  observed  some- 
thing black  rising  up  through  the  green  object.  In  an- 
other moment  Jack's  head  rose  to  the  surface,  and  he 
gave  a  wild  shout,  flinging  back  the  spray  from  his  locks, 
as  was  his  wont  after  a  dive.     Now  we  were  almost  as 


124  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

much  amazed  at  seeing  him  reappear,  well  and  strong, 
as  we  had  been  at  first  at  his  non-appearance  ;  for,  to  the 
best  of  our  judgment,  he  had  been  nearly  ten  minutes 
under  water,  perhaps  longer,  and  it  required  no  exertion 
of  our  reason  to  convince  us  that  this  was  utterly  impos- 
sible for  mortal  man  to  do  and  retain  his  strength  and 
faculties.  It  was  therefore  with  a  feeling  akin  to  super- 
stitious awe  that  I  held  down  my  hand  and  assisted  him 
to  clamber  up  the  steep  rocks.  But  no  such  feeling 
affected  Peterkin.  No  sooner  did  Jack  gain  the  rocks 
and  seat  himself  on  one,  panting  for  breath,  than  he 
threw  his  arms  round  his  neck,  and  burst  into  a  flood  of 
tears.  "  Oh,  Jack,  Jack  !  "  said  he,  "  where  were  you  ? 
What  kept  you  so  long  ?  " 

After  a  few  moments  Peterkin  became  composed 
enough  to  sit  still  and  listen  to  Jack's  explanation,  al- 
though he  could  not  restrain  himself  from  attempting  to 
wink  every  two  minutes  at  me,  in  order  to  express  his 
joy  at  Jack's  safety.  I  say  he  attempted  to  wink,  but  I 
am  bound  to  add  that  he  did  not  succeed,  for  his  eyes 
were  so  much  swollen  with  weeping,  that  his  frequent 
attempts  only  resulted  in  a  series  of  violent  and  al- 
together idiotical  contortions  of  the  face,  that  were  very 
far  from  expressing  what  he  intended.  However,  I  knew 
what  the  poor  fellow  meant  by  it,  so  I  smiled  to  him  in 
return,  and  endeavoured  to  make  believe  that  he  was 
winking. 

"  Now,  lads,"  said  Jack,  when  we  were  composed 
enough  to  listen  to  him,  "  yon  green  object  is  not  a 
shark ;  it  is  a  stream  of  light  issuing  from  a  cave  in  the 
rocks.  Just  after  I  made  my  dive,  I  observed  that  this 
light  came  from  the  side  of  the  rock  above  which  we  are 
now  sitting ;  so  I  struck  out  for  it,  and  saw  an  opening 


THE  COBAL   ISLAND.  125 

into  «ome  place  or  other  that  appeared  to  be  luminous 
within.  For  one  instant  I  paused  to  think  whether  I 
ought  to  venture.  Then  I  made  up  my  mind,  and  dashed 
into  it.  For  you  see,  Peterkin,  although  I  take  some 
time  to  tell  this,  it  happened  in  the  space  of  a  few  sec- 
onds, so  that  I  knew  I  had  wind  enough  in  me  to  serve 
to  bring  me  out  o'  the  hole  and  up  to  the  surface  a^ain. 
Well,  I  wajs  just  on  the  point  of  turning,  —  for  I  began 
to  feel  a  little  uncomfortable  in  such  a  place,  —  when  it 
seemed  to  me  as  if  there  was  a  faint  light  right  above 
mc  I  darted  upwards,  and  found  my  head  out  of  water. 
This  relieved  mc  greatly,  for  I  now  felt  that  I  could  take 
in  air  enough  to  enable  me  to  return  the  way  I  came. 
Then  if  all  at  once  occurred  to  me  that  I  might  not  be 
able  to  find  the  way  out  again;  but,  on  glancing  down- 
wards, my  mind  was  put  quite  at  rest  by  seeing  the 
green  light  below  me  streaming  into  the  cave,  just  like 
the  light  that  we  had  seen  streaming  out  of  it,  only 
what  I  now  saw  was  much  brighter. 

"At  first  T  could  scarcely  see  anything  as  I  gazed 
around  me.  it  was  so  dark  ;  but  gradually  my  eyes  be- 
came  accustomed  to  it,  and  I  found  that  I  was  in  a 
huge  cave,  part  of  the  walls  of  which  I  observed  on  each 
side  of  me.  The  ceiling  just  above  me  was  also  visible, 
and  I  fancied  that  I  could  perceive  beautiful  glittering 
objects  there,  but  the  farther  end  of  the  cave  was 
shrouded  in  darkness.  While  I  was  looking  around  me 
in  great  wonder,  it  came  into  my  head  that  you  two 
would  think  I  was  drowned;  so  I  plunged  down  through 
tin.'  passage  again  in  a  great  hurry,  rose  to  the  surface, 
and  —  here  I  am  !" 

When  Jack  concluded  his  recital  of  what  he  had  seen 
in  tin-   remarkable  cave.  I  could  not  rest  satisfied  till  I 


126  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

had  dived  down  to  see  it ;  which  I  did,  but  found  it  so 
dark,  as  Jack  had  said,  that  I  could  scarcely  see  any- 
thing.  When  I  returned,  we  had  a  long  conversation 
about  it,  during  which  I  observed  that  Peterkin  had  a 
most  lugubrious  expression  on  his  countenance. 

"  What's  the  matter,  Peterkin  ?  "  said  I. 

"  The  matter  ?  "  he  replied.  "  It's  all  very  well  for 
you  two  to  be  talking  away  like  mermaids  about  the 
wonders  of  this  cave,  but  you  know  I  must  be  content  to 
hear  about  it,  while  you  are  enjoying  yourselves  down 
there  like  mad  dolphins.     It's  really  too  bad." 

"  I'm  very  sorry  for  you,  Peterkin,  indeed  I  am,"  said 
Jack,  "  but  we  cannot  help  you.  If  you  would  only 
learn  to  dive  —  " 

"  Learn  to  fly,  you  might  as  well  say !  "  retorted  Peter- 
kin, in  a  very  sulky  tone. 

"  If  you  would  only  consent  to  keep  still,"  said  I,  "  we 
would  take  you  down  with  us  in  ten  seconds." 

"  Hum  !  "  returned  Peterkin  ;  "  suppose  a  salamander 
was  to  propose  to  you  '  only  to  keep  still,'  and  he  would 
carry  you  through  a  blazing  fire  in  a  few  seconds,  what 
wrould  you  say  ?  " 

We  both  laughed  and  shook  our  heads,  for  it  was  evi- 
dent that  nothing  was  to  be  made  of  Peterkin  in  the 
water.  But  we  could  not  rest  satisfied  till  we  had  seen 
more  of  this  cave  ;  so,  after  further  consultation,  Jack 
and  I  determined  to  try  if  wre  could  take  down  a  torch 
with  us,  and  set  fire  to  it  in  the  cavern.  This  we  found 
to  be  an  undertaking  of  no  small  difficulty ;  but  we  ac- 
complished it  at  last  by  the  following  means  :  —  First, 
wTe  made  a  torch  of  a  very  inflammable  nature  out  of  the 
bark  of  a  certain  tree,  wjiich  we  cut  into  strips,  and, 
after  twisting,  cemented  together  with  a  kind  of  resin  or 


THE   COBAL  ISLAND.  127 

gum,  which  we  also  obtained  from  another  tree;  neither 
of  which  trees,  however,  was  known  by  name  to  Jack. 
This,  when  prepared,  we  wrapped  up  in  a  great  number 
of  plies  of  cocoa-nut  cloth,  so  that  we  were  confident  it 
could  not  gel  wel  during  the  short  time  it  should  be  under 
water.  Then  we  took  a  small  piece  of  the  tinder,  which 
we  had  carefully  treasured  up  lest  we  should  require  it, 
as  before  said,  when  the  sun  should  fail  us ;  also,  we 
rolled  up  some  dry  grass  and  a  few  chips,  which,  with  a 
little  bow  and  drill,  like  those  described  before,  we  made 
into  another  bundle,  and  wrapped  it  up  in  cocoa-nut 
cloth.  When  all  was  ready  we  laid  aside  our  garments, 
with  the  exception  of  our  trousers,  which,  as  we  did  not 
know  what  rough  scraping  against  the  roeLs  we  might  be 
subjected  to,  we  kept  on. 

Then  we  advanced  to  the  edge  of  the  rocks,  Jack 
carrying  one  bundle,  with  the  torch;  I  the  other,  with 
the  things  for  producing  lire. 

u  Now  don't  weary  for  us,  Petcrkin,  should  we  be  gone 
some  tune,"  said  Jack  ;  "we'll  be  sure  to  return  in  half- 
an-hour  at  the  very  latest,  however  interesting  the  cave 
should  be,  that  we  may  relieve  your  mind." 

"Farewell!"  said  Peterkin,  coming  up  to  us  with  a 
look  of  deep  but  pretended  solemnity,  while  he  shook 
hands  and  kissed  each  of  us  on  the  cheek.  "Farewell ! 
and  while  you  are  gone  I  shall  repose  my  weary  limbs 
under  the  shelter  of  this  bush,  and  meditate  on  the 
chaogefulness  of  all  things  earthly,  with  special  reference 
to  the  forsaken  condition  of  a  poor  ship-wrecked  sailor 
boy  !  "  So  saying,  Peterkin  waved  his  hand,  turned  from 
ds,  and  cast  himself  upon  the  ground  with  a  look  of  mel- 
ancholy resignation,  which  was  so  well  feigned,  that  I 
would  have  thought  it  genuine  had  he  not  accompanied 


128  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

it  with  a  gentle  wink.     We  both  laughed,  and:  springing 
from  the  rocks  together,  plunged  head  first  into  the  sea. 

We  gained  the  interior  of  the  submarine  cave  with- 
out difficulty,  and,  on  emerging  from  the  waves,  supported 
ourselves  for  some  time  by  treading-water,  while  we  held 
the  two  bundles  above  our  heads.  This  we  did  in  order 
to  let  our  eyes  become  accustomed  to  the  obscurity. 
Then,  when  we  could  see  sufficiently,  we  swam  to  a 
shelving  rock,  and  landed  in  safety.  Having  wrung  the 
water  from  our  trousers,  and  dried  ourselves  as  well  as 
we  could  under  the  circumstances,  we  proceeded  to  ignite 
the  torch.  This  we  accomplished  without  difficulty  in  a 
few  minutes ;  and  no  sooner  did  it  flare  up  than  we  were 
struck  dumb  with  the  wonderful  objects  that  were  re- 
vealed to  our  gaze.  The  roof  of  the  cavern  just  above 
us  seemed  to  be  about  ten  feet  high,  but  grew  higher  as 
it  receded  into  the  distance,  until  it  was  lost  in  darkness. 
It  seemed  to  be  made  of  coral,  and  was- supported  by 
massive  columns  of  the  same  material.  Immense  icicles 
(as  they  appeared  to  us)  hung  from  it  in  various  places. 
These,  however,  were  formed,  not  of  ice,  but  of  a  species 
of  limestone,  which  seemed  to  flow  in  a  liquid  form  to- 
wards the  point  of  each,  where  it  became  solid.  A  good 
many  drops  fell,  however,  to  the  rock  below,  and  these 
formed  little  cones,  which  rose  to  meet  the  points  above. 
Some  of  them  had  already  met,  and  thus  we  saw  how 
the  pillars  were  formed,  which  at  first  seemed  to  us  as  if 
they  had  been  placed  there  by  some  human  architect  to 
support  the  roof.  As  we  advanced  farther  in,  we  saw 
that  the  floor  was  composed  of  the  same  material  as 
the  pillars  ;  and  it  presented  the  curious  appearance  of 
ripples,  such  as  are  formed  on  water  when  gently  ruffled 
by  the  wind.     There  were  several  openings  on  either 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  129 

hand    in  the  walls,  that  seemed  to  lead  into  other  cav- 
erns; but   these  we  did   not  explore   at  this  time.     We 
also  observed  that   the  ceiling  was  curiously  marked  in 
many  places,  as  if  it  were  the  fretwork  of  a  noble  cathe- 
dral ;  and  the  walls,  as  well  as  the  roof,  sparkled  in  the 
light  of  our  torch,  and   threw  back  gleams    and    flashes, 
as  if  they  were  covered  with  precious  stones.     Although 
we  proceeded  far  into  this  cavern,  we  did  not  come  to  the 
end  of  it ;  and  we  were  obliged  to  return  more  speedily 
than  we  would  otherwise  have  done,  as   our  torch  was 
nearly  expended.     We  did  not  observe  any  openings  in 
the  roof,  or  any  indications  of  places  whereby  light  might 
enter;    but    near  the  entrance  to  the  cavern  °stood  °an 
immense   mass  of  pure  white  coral   rock,  which   caught 
■"*  threw  back  the   little  light   that  found  an  entrance 
through   the   cave's  mouth,  and   thus  produced,  we   con- 
jectured, the  pale-green  object  which  had  first  attracted 
our  attention.     We  concluded,   also,  that  the   reflecting 
Power  of  this  rock  was   that  which   gave  forth  the  dim 
light  that  faintly  illumined  the  first  part  of  the  cave. 

Before  diving  through  the  passage   again  we   extin- 
guished (he  small  piece  of  our  torch  that  remained,  and 
left  it  in  a  dry  spot;  conceiving  that  we  might  possibly 
stand  n.  need  of  it,  if  at  any  future  time  we  should  chance 
t0  *e1   our  torch  while  diving  into   the  cavern.     As  we 
stood  for  a  few  minutes  after  it  was  out,  waiting  till  our 
eyes  became  accustomed  to  the  gloom,  we  could  not  help 
remarking  the  deep,  intense  stillness  and  the  unutterable 
gloom  of  all  around  us;    and,  as  I  thought  of  the  stu- 
pendous  dome   above,  and   the  countless  gems  that  had 
sparkled  m  the  torchlight  a  few  minutes  before,  it  came    ' 
mto    my  mind  to  consider  how  strange    it    is   that   God 
should   make    such    wonderful   and  exquisitely-beautiful 


130  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

works  never  to  be  seen  at  all,  except,  indeed,  by  chance 
visitors  such  as  ourselves. 

I  afterwards  found  that  there  were  many  such  caverns 
among  the  islands  of  the  South  Seas,  some  of  them 
larger  and  more  beautiful  than  the  one  I  have  just 
described. 

"  Now,  Ralph,  are  you  ready  ? "  said  Jack,  in  a  low 
voice,  that  seemed  to  echo  up  into  the  dome  above. 

"  Quite  ready." 

"  Come  along,  then,"  said  he  ;  and,  plunging  off  the 
ledge  of  the  rock  into  the  water,  we  dived  through  the 
narrow  entrance.  In  a  few  seconds  we  were  panting 
on  the  rocks  above,  and  receiving  the  congratulations  of 
our  friend  Peterkin. 


THE    CORAL  ISLAND.  131 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

STRANGE  PECULIARITY    OF  THE  TIDES  —  ALSO  OF  THE  TWILIGHT 
PETERKIN'8    REMARKABLE   CONDUCT  IX  EMBRACING   A  LIT- 
TLB  PIG  AND  KILLING  A  BIG  SOW— SAGE    REMARKS   ON   JEST- 
ING— ALSO  ON   LOVE. 

IT  was  quite  a  relief  to  us  to  breathe  the  pure  air 
and  to  enjoy  the  -lad  sunshine  after  four  long  ramble 
in  the  Diamond  Cave,  as  we  named  it ;  for,  although  we 
did  not  stay  more  than  half  an  hour  away,  it  seemed  to 
us  much  longer.  While  we  were  dressing,  and  daring 
our  walk  home,  we  did  our  best  to  satisfy  the  curiosity 
of  poor  Peterkin,  who  seemed  to  regret,  with  lively  sin- 
cerity, his  inability  to  dive. 

.  There  was  no  help  for  it,  however,  so  we  condoled 
with  him  as  we  best  could.  Had  there  been  any  great 
rise  or  fall  in  the  tide  of  these  seas,  we  might  perhaps 
have  found  it  possible  to  take  him  down  with  us  at  low 
water  ;  but  as  the  tide  never  rose  or  fell  more  than  eigh- 
teen inches  or  two  feet,  this  was  impossible. 

This  peculiarity  of  the  tide  —  its  slight  rise  and  fall 
—  had  not  attracted  our  observation  till  some  time  after 
our  residence  on  the  island.  Neither  had  we  observed 
another  curious  circumstance  until  we  had  been  some 
lime  there.  This  Nvas  the  fact,  that  the  tide  rose  and  fell 
with  constant  regularity,  instead  of  being  affected  by  the 
changes  of  the  moon  as  in  our  own  country,  and  as  it  is 
in  most  other  parts  of  the  world,  —  at  least  in  all  those 
parts  with  which  I  am  acquainted.    Every  day  and  every 


132  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

night,  at  twelve  o'clock  precisely,  the  tide  is  at  the  full ; 
and  at  six  o'clock  every  morning  and  evening  it  is  ebb. 
I  can  speak  with  much  confidence  on  this  singular  cir- 
cumstance, as  we  took  particular  note  of  it,  and  never 
found  it  to  alter.  Of  course  I  must  admit  we  had  to 
guess  the  hour  of  twelve  midnight,  and  I  think  we  could 
do  this  pretty  correctly ;  but  in  regard  to  twelve  noon  we 
are  quite  positive,  because  we  easily  found  the  highest 
point  that  the  sun  reached  in  the  sky  by  placing  ourselves 
at  a  certain  spot  whence  we  observed  the  sharp  summit 
of  a  cliff  resting  against  the  sky,  just  where  the  sun 
passed. 

Jack  and  I  were  surprised  that  we  had  not  noticed  this 
the  first  few  days  of  our  residence  here,  and  could  only 
account  for  it  by  our  being  so  much  taken  up  with  the 
more  obvious  wonders  of  our  novel  situation.  I  have 
since  learned,  however,  that  this  want  of  observation  is  a 
sad  and  very  common  infirmity  of  human  nature,  there 
being  hundreds  of  persons  before  whose  eyes  the  most 
wonderful  things  are  passing  every  day,  who  nevertheless 
are  totally  ignorant  of  them.  I  therefore  have  to  record 
my  sympathy  with  such  persons,  and  to  recommend  to 
them  a  course  of  conduct  which  I  have  now  for  a  long 
time  myself  adopted,  —  namely,  the  habit  of  forcing  my 
attention  upon  all  things  that  go  on  around  me,  and  of 
taking  some  degree  of  interest  in  them,  whether  I  feel 
it  naturally  or  not.  I  suggest  this  the  more  earnestly, 
though  humbly,  because  I  have  very  frequently  come  to 
know  that  my  indifference  to  a  thing  has  generally  been 
caused  by  my  ignorance  in  regard  to  it. 

We  had  much  serious  conversation  on  this  subject  of 
the  tides ;  and  Jack  told  us,  in  his  own  quiet,  philosophi- 
cal way,  that  these  tides  did  great  good  to  the  world  in 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  133 

many  ways,  particularly  in  the  way  of  cleansing  the 
shores  of  the  land,  and  carrying  off  the  filth  that  was  con- 
stantly poured  into  the  sea  therefrom;  which,  Peterkin 
siiLr,Lr<'-t<'<l,  was  remarkably  tidy  of  it  to  do.  Poor  Peter- 
kin  could  never  let  slip  an  opportunity  to  joke,  however 
inopportune  it  might  be  ;  which  at  first  we  found  rather 
a  disagreeable  propensity,  as  it  often  interrupted  the  flow 
of  very  agreeable  conversation;  and,  indeed,  I  cannot 
too  strongly  record  my  disapprobation  of  this  tendency 
in  general ;  but  we  became  so  used  to  it  at  last  that  we 
found  it  no  interruption  whatever  ;  indeed,  strange  to 
say.  we  came  to  feel  that  it  was  a  necessary  part  of  our 
enjoyment,  (such  is  the  force  of  habit,)  and  found  the 
sudden  outbursts  of  mirth,  resulting  from  his  humorous 
disposition,  quite  natural  and  refreshing  to  us  in  the  midst 
of  our  more  serious  conversations.  But  I  must  not  mis- 
represent Peterkin.  We  often  found,  to  our  surprise, 
that  he  knew  many  things  which  we  did  not  ;  and  I  also 
observed  that  those  things  which  he  learned  from  ex- 
perience  were  never  forgotten.  From  all  these  things  I 
came  at  length  to  understand  that  things  very  opposite 
and  dissimilar  in  themselves,  when  united,  do  make  an 
agreeable  whole  ;  as,  for  example,  we  three  on  this  our 
island,  although  most  unlike  in  many  things,  when  united, 
made  a  trio  so  harmonious  that  I  question  if  there  ever 
met  before  such  an  agreeable  triumvirate.  There  was, 
indeed,  no  note  of  discord  whatever  in  the  symphony  we 
played  together  on  that  sweet  Coral  Island;  and  I  am 
now  persuaded  that  this  was  owing  to  our  having  been 
all  tuned  to  the  same  key,  namely,  that  of  love  I  Yes, 
we  loved  one  another  with  much  fervency  while  we 
lived  on  that  island;  and,  for  the  matter  of  that,  we  love 
each  other  still. 


134  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

And  while  I  am  on  this  subject,  or  rather  the  subject 
that  just  preceded  it  —  namely,  the  tides  —  I  may  here 
remark  on  another  curious  natural  phenomenon.  We 
found  that  there  was  little  or  no  twilight  in  this  island. 
We  had  a  distinct  remembrance  of  the  charming  long 
twilight  at  home,  which  some  people  think  the  most 
delightful  part  of  the  day,  though  for  my  part  I  have 
always  preferred  sunrise  ;  and  when  we  first  landed,  we 
used  to  sit  down  on  some  rocky  point  or  eminence  at  the 
close  of  our  clay's  work,  to  enjoy  the  evening  breeze  ;  but 
no  sooner  had  the  sun  sunk  below  the  horizon  than  all 
became  suddenly  dark.  This  rendered  it  necessary  that 
we  should  watch  the  sun  when  we  happened  to  be  out 
hunting,  for  to  be  suddenly  left  in  the  dark  while  in  the 
woods  was  very  perplexing,  as,  although  the  stars  shone 
with  great  beauty  and  brilliancy,  they  could  not  pierce 
through  the  thick,  umbrageous  boughs  that  interlaced 
above  our  heads. 

But  to  return  :  After  having  told  all  we  could  to  Pe- 
terkin  about  the  Diamond  Cave  under  Spouting  Cliff,  as 
we  named  the  locality,  we  were  wending  our<  way  rapidly 
homewards,  when  a  grunt  and  a  squeal  were  borne  down 
by  the  land  breeze  to  our  ears. 

"  That's  the  ticket ! "  was  Peterkin's  remarkable  ex- 
clamation, as  he  started  convulsively,  and  levelled  his 
spear. 

"  Hist !  "  cried  Jack  ;  "  these  are  your  friends,  Peter- 
kin.  They  must  have  come  over  expressly  to  pay  you  a 
friendly  visit,  for  it  is  the  first  time  we  have  seen  them 
on  this  side  the  island." 

"  Come  along  ! "  cried  Peterkin,  hurrying  towards  the 
wood,  while  Jack  and  I  followed,  smiling  at  his  im- 
patience. 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  135 

Another  grant  and  half  a  dozen  squeals,  much  louder 
than  before,  came  down  the  valley.  At  this  time  we 
were  just  opposite  the  small  vale  which  lay  between  the 
Valley  of  the  Wreck  and  Spouting  Cliff. 

;i  I  say,  Peterkin,"  cried  Jack,  in  a  hoarse  whisper. 

"Well,  what  is't?" 

"  Stay  a  bit,  man.  These  grunters  are  just  up  there 
on  the  hill-side.  If  you  go  and  stand  with  Ralph  in  the 
lee  of  yon  cliff,  I'll  cut  round  behind  and  drive  them 
through  the  gorge,  so  that  you'll  have  a  better  chance  of 
picking  out  a  good  one.  Now,  mind  you  pitch  into  a  fat 
young  pig,  Peterkin,"  added  Jack,  as  he  sprang  into  the 
bushes. 

-  "Won't  I,  just  !  "  .-aid  Peterkin,  licking  his  lips,  as  we 
took  our  station  beside  the  cliff.  "  I  feel  quite  a  tender 
affection  for  young  pigs  in  my  heart.  Perhaps  it  would 
he  11  i.»re  correct  to  say  in  my  s — ." 

"  There  they  come  ! "  cried  I,  as  a  terrific  yell  from 
Jack  sent  the  whole  herd  screaming  down  the  hill.  Now, 
Peterkin,  being  unable  to  hold  back,  crept  a  short  way  up 
a  very  steep,  grassy  mound,  in  order  to  get  a  better  view 
of  the  hogs  before  they  came  up  ;  and  just  as  he  raised 
his  head  above  its  summit,  two  little  pigs,  which  had 
outrun  their  companions,  rushed  over  the  top  with  the 
utmost  precipitation.  One  of  these  brushed  close  past 
Peterkin's  ear  ;  the  other,  unable  to  arrest  its  headlong 
Might,  went,  as  Peterkin,  himself  afterwards  expressed 
it.  -  bash,"  into  his  arms  with  a  sudden  squeal,  which 
was  caused  more  by  the  force  of  the  blow  than  the  will 
of  the  animal,  and  both  of  them  rolled  violently  down  to 
the  foot  of  the  mound.  No  sooner  was  this  reached  than 
the  little  pig  recovered  its  feet,  tossed  up  its  tail,  and  fled 
shrieking  from  the  spot.     But  I  slang  a  large  stone  after 


136  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

it,  which,  being  fortunately  well  aimed,  hit  it  behind  the 
ear,  and  felled  it  to  the  earth. 

"  Capital,  Ralph  !  that's  your  sort !  "  cried  Peterkin, 
who,  to  my  surprise  and  great  relief,  had  risen  to  his 
feet.  Apparently  unhurt,  though  much  dishevelled,  he 
rushed  franticly  towards  the  gorge,  which  the  yells  of  the 
hogs  told  us  they  were  now  approaching.  I  had  made 
up  my  mind  that  I  would  abstain  from  killing  another, 
as,  if  Peterkin  should  be  successful,  two  were  more  than 
sufficient  for  our  wants  at  the  present  time.  Suddenly 
they  all  burst  forth,  —  two  or  three  little  round  ones  in 
advance,  and  an  enormous  old  sow  with  a  drove  of  hogs 
at  her  heels. 

"  Now,  Peterkin,"  said  I,  "  there's  a  nice  little  fat  one ; 
just  spear  it." 

But  Peterkin  did  not  move  ;  he  allowed  it  to  pass  un- 
harmed. I  looked  at  him  in  surprise,  and  saw  that  his 
lips  were  compressed  and  his  eyebrows  knitted,  as  if  he 
were  about  to  fight  with  some  awful  enemy. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  I  inquired,  with  some  trepidation. 

Suddenly  he  levelled  his  spear,  darted  forward,  and, 
with  a  yell  that  nearly  froze  the  blood  in  my  veins,  stab- 
bed the  old  sow  to  the  heart.  Nay,  so  vigorously  was  it 
done  that  the  spear  went  in  at  one  side  and  came  out  at 
the  other  ! 

"  Oh,  Peterkin ! "  said  I,  going  up  to  him,  "  what  have 
yon  done  ?  " 

"  Done  ?  I've  killed  their  great-great-grandmother, 
that's  all,"  said  he,  looking  with  a  somewhat  awe-struck 
expression  at  the  transfixed  animal. 

"  Hallo  !  what's  this  ? "  said  Jack,  as  he  came  up. 
"  Why,  Peterkin,  you  must  be  fond  of  a  tough  chop.  If 
you  mean  to  eat  this  old  hog,  she'll  try  your  jaws,  I  war- 
rant.    What  possessed  you  to  stick  her,  Peterkin  ?  " 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  137 

"  Why,  the  fact  is,  T  want  a  pair  of  shoes." 

"  What  have  your  shoes  to  do  with  the  old  hog?"  said 
I,  smiling. 

■•  My  present  shoes  have  certainly  nothing  to  do  with 
her,"  replied  Peterkin ;  "nevertheless  she  will  have  a 
good  deal  to  do  With  my  future  shoes.  The  fact  is,  when 
I  Baw  you  floor  that  pig  so  neatly,  Ralph,  it  struck  me 
that  there  was  little  use  in  killing  another.  Then  I 
remembered  all  at  once  that  I  had  long  wanted  some 
leather  or  tough  substance  to  make  shoes  of,  and  this  old 
grandmother  seemed  so  tough  that  I  just  made  up  my 
mind  to  stick  her,  and  you  see  I've  done  it !" 

"  That  you  certainly  have,  Peterkin,"  said  Jack,  as  he 
was  examining  the  transfixed  animal. 

We  now  considered  how  we  were  to  carry  our  game 
home,  for  although  the  distance  was  short,  the  hog  was 
vi ty  heavy.  At  length  we  hit  on  the  plan  of  tying  its 
four  feet  together,  and  passing  the  spear  handle  between 
them.  Jack  took  one  end  on  his  shoulder,  I  took  the 
other  on  mine,  and  Peterkin  carried  the  small  pig. 

Thus  we  returned  in  triumph  to  our  bower,  laden,  as 
Peterkin  remarked,  with  the  glorious  spoils  of  a  noble 
hunt.  As  he  afterwards  spoke  in  similarly  glowing  terms 
in  reference  to  the  supper  that  followed,  there  is  every 
reason  to  believe  that  we  retired  that  night  to  our  leafy 
beds  in  a  high  &tate  of  satisfaction. 


138  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

BOAT-BUILDTNO  EXTRAORDINARY  —  PETERKIN  TRIES  HIS  HAND 
AT  COOKERY  AND  FAILS  MOST  SIGNALLY  —  THE  BOAT  FIN- 
ISHED—CURIOUS CONVERSATION  WITH  THE  CAT,  AND  OTHER 
MATTERS. 

FOR  many  days  after  this  Jack  applied  himself  with 
unremitting  assiduity  to  the  construction  of  our  boat, 
which  at  length  began  to  look  somewhat  like  one.  But 
those  only  who  have  had  the  thing  to  do  can  entertain  a 
right  idea  of  the  difficulty  involved  in  such  an  undertak- 
ing, with  no  other  implements  than  an  axe,  a  bit  of  hoop- 
iron,  a  sail-needle,  and  a  broken  penknife.  But  Jack 
did  it.  He  was  of  that  disposition  which  will  not  be  con- 
quered. When  he  believed  himself  to  be  acting  rightly, 
he  overcame  all  obstacles.  I  have  seen  Jack,  when 
doubtful  whether  what  he  was  about  to  do  were  right  or 
wrong,  as  timid  and  vacillating  as  a  little  girl,  —  and  I 
honor  him  for  it  ! 

As  this  boat  was  a  curiosity  in  its  way,  a  few  words 
here  relative  to  the  manner  of  its  construction  may  not 
be  amiss. 

I  have  already  mentioned  the  chestnut-tree  with  its 
wronderful  buttresses  or  planks.  This  tree,  then,  fur- 
nished us  with  the  chief  part  of  our  material.  First  of 
all  Jack  sought  out  a  limb  of  a  tree  of  such  a  form  and 
size  as,  while  it  should  form  the  keel,  a  bend  at  either 
end  should  form  the  stem  and  stern  posts.  Such  a  piece, 
however,  was  not  easy  to  obtain,  but  at  last  he  procured 


THE   CORAL   ISLAND.  139 

it,  by  rooting  up  a  small  tree  which  had  a  branch  grow- 
ing al  the  proper  angle  about  ten  feet  up  its  stem,  with 
two  strong  roots  growing  in  sueh  a  form  as  enabled  him 
to  make  a  flat-sterned  boat.  This  placed,  he  procured 
three  branching  roots  of  suitable  size,  which  lie  fitted  to 
the  keel  at  equal  distances,  thus  forming  three  strong 
ribs.  Now,  the  squaring  and  shaping  of  these,  and  the 
cutting  of  the  grooves  in  the  keel,  was  an  easy  enough 
matter,  as  it  was  all  work  for  the  axe,  in  the  use  of  which 
Jack  was  become  wonderfully  expert  ;  but  it  was  quite  a 
different  affair  when  he  came  to  nailing  the  ribs  to  the 
keel,  ibr  we  had  no  instrument  capable  of  boring  a  large 
hole  and  no  nails  to  fasten  them  with.  We  were,  in- 
deed, much  perplexed  here  ;  but  Jack  at  length  devised 
an  instrument  that  served  very  well.  He  took  the  re- 
mainder of  our  hoop-iron  and  beat  it  into  the  form  of  a 
pipe  or  cylinder,  about  as  thick  as  a  man's  finger.  This 
he  did  by  means  of  our  axe  and  the  old  rusty  axe  we 
had  found  at  the  house  of  the  poor  man  at  the  other  side 
of  the  island.  This,  when  made  red-hot,  bored  slowly 
through  the  timbers  ;  and,  the  better  to  retain  the  heat, 
Jack  -hut  up  one  end  of  it  and  filled  it  with  sand.  True, 
the  work  was  very  slowly  done,  but  it  mattered  not  — 
avc  had  little  else  to  do.  Two  holes  were  bored  in  each 
timber,  about  an  inch  and  a  half  apart,  and  also  down 
into  the  keel,  but  not  quite  through.  Into  these  were 
placed  stout  pegs  made  of  a  tree  called  iron-wood;  and, 
when  they  were  hammered  well  home,  the  timbers  were 
as  firmly  fixed  as  if  they  had  been  nailed  with  iron.  The 
gunwales,  which  were  very  stout,  were  fixed  in  a  similar 
manner.  But,  besides  the  wooden  nails,  they  were  firmly 
lashed  to  the  stem  and  stern  posts  and  ribs  by  means  of 
a  species  of  cordage  which  we  had  contrived  to  make  out 


140  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

of  the  fibrous  husk  of  the  cocoa-nut.  This  husk  was 
very  tough,  and  when  a  number  of  the  threads  were 
joined  together  they  formed  excellent  cordage.  At  first 
we  tied  the  different  lengths  together,  but  this  was  such 
a  clumsy  and  awkward  complication  of  knots,  that  we 
contrived,  by  careful  interlacing  of  the  ends  together 
before  twisting,  to  make  good  cordage  of  any  size  or 
length  we  chose.  Of  course  it  cost  us  much  time  and 
infinite  labor,  but  Jack  kept  up  our  spirits  when  we 
grew  weary,  and  so  all  that  we  required  was  at  last 
constructed. 

Planks  were  now  cut  off  the  chestnut-trees  of  about 
an  inch  thick.  These  were  dressed  with  the  axe,  —  but 
clumsily,  for  an  axe  is  ill  adapted  for  such  work.  Five 
of  these  planks  on  each  side  were  sufficient,  and  we 
formed  the  boat  in  a  very  rounded,  barrel-like  shape,  in 
order  to  have  as  little  twisting  of  the  planks  as  possible  ; 
for,  although  we  could  easily  bend  them,  we  could  not 
easily  twist  them.  Having  no  nails  to  rivet  the  planks 
with;  we  threw  aside  the  ordinary  fashion  of  boat-build- 
ing, and  adopted  one  of  our  own.  The  planks  were, 
therefore,  placed  on  each  other's  edges,  and  sewed  to- 
gether with  the  tough  cordage  already  mentioned.  They 
were  also  thus  sewed  to  the  stem,  the  stern,  and  the  keel. 
Each  stitch  or  tie  was  six  inches  apart,  and  was  formed 
thus :  Three  holes  were  bored  in  the  upper  plank,  and 
three  in  the  lower,  —  the  holes  being  above  each  other, 
that  is,  in  a  vertical  line.  Through  these  holes  the  cord 
was  passed,  and,  when  tied,  formed  a  powerful  stitch  of 
three  ply.  Besides  this,  we  placed  between  the  edges  of 
the  planks,  layers  of  cocoa-nut  fibre,  which,  as  it  swelled 
when  wetted,  would,  we  hoped,  make  our  little  vessel 
water-tight.      But  in  order  further  to  secure  this  end,  Ave 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  HI 

collected  a  large  quantity  of  pitch  from  the  bread-fruit 
inc  with  which  when  boiled  in  our  old  iron  pot,  we 
payed  the  whole  of  the  inside  of  the  boat,  and,  while  it 
was  vet  hot,  placed  large  pieces  of  cocoa-nut  cloth  on  it, 
and  then  gave  it  another  coat  above  that.  Thus  the  in- 
terior was  covered  with  a  tough  water-tight  material; 
while  the  exterior,  being  uncovered,  and  so  exposed  to 
the  swelling  action  of  the  water,  was.  we  hoped,  likely  to 
keep  the  boat  quite  dry.  I  may  add  that  our  hopes  were 
not  disappointed. 

While  .lack  was  thus  engaged,  Peterkin  and  I  some- 
times assisted  him,  but,  as  our  assistance  was  not  much 
required,  we  more  frequently  went  a-hunting  on  the  ex- 
tensive mud-flats  at  the  entrance  of  the  long  valley  which 
lay  nearest  to  our  bower.  Here  we  found  targe  Hocks 
of  ducks  of  various  kinds,  some  of  them  bearing  so  much 
resemblance  to  the  wild  ducks  of  our  own  country  that  I 
think  they  must  have  been  the  same.  On  these  occa- 
sions, we  took  the  bow  and  the  sling,  with  both  of  which 
we  were  often  successful,  though  I  must  confess  I  was 
the  least  so.  Our  suppers  were  thus  pleasantly  varied, 
and  sometimes  we  had  such  a  profusion  spread  out  be- 
fore us  that  we  frequently  knew  not  with  which  of  the 
dainties  to  begin. 

I  must  also  add  that  the  poor  old  cat  which  we  had 
brought  home  had  always  a  liberal  share  of  our  good 
things,  and  so  well  wTas  it  looked  after,  especially  by  Pe- 
terkin, that  it  recovered  much  of  its  former  strength,  and 
seemed  to  improve  in  sight,  as  well  as  hearing. 

The  large  flat  stone,  or  rock  of  coral,  which  stood  just 
in  front  of  the  entrance  to  our  bower,  was  our  table.  On 
this  rock  we  had  spread  out  the  few  articles  we  possessed 
the  day  we  were  shipwrecked  ;  and  on  the  same  rock, 


142  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

during  many  a  day  afterwards,  we  spread  out  the  bounti- 
ful supply  with  which  we  had  been  blessed  on  our  Coral 
Island.  Sometimes  we  sat  down  at  this  table  to  a  feast 
consisting  of  hot  rolls,  —  as  Peterkin  called  the  newly- 
baked  bread-fruit,  —  a  roast  pig,  roast  duck,  boiled  and 
roasted  yams,  cocoa-nuts,  taro,  and  sweet  potatoes ;  which 
we  followed  up  with  a  dessert  of  plums,  apples,  and  plan- 
tains,—  the  last  being  a  large-sized  and  delightful  fruit, 
which  grew  on  a  large  shrub  or  tree  not  more  than 
twelve  feet  high,  with  light-green  leaves  of  enormous 
length  and  breadth.  These  luxurious  feasts  were  usually 
washed  down  with  cocoa-nut  lemonade. 

Occasionally  Peterkin  tried  to  devise  some  new  dish, 
—  "a  conglomerate,"  as  he  used  to  say ;  but  these  gen- 
erally turned  out  such  atrocious  compounds  that  he  was 
ultimately  induced  to  give  up  his  attempts  in  extreme 
disgust.  Not  forgetting,  however,  to  point  out  to  Jack 
that  his  failure  was  a  direct  contradiction  to  the  proverb 
which  he,  Jack,  was  constantly  thrusting  down  his  throat, 
namely,  that  "  where  there's  a  will  there's  a  way."  For 
he  had  a  great  will  to  become  a  cook,  but  could  by  no 
means  find  a  way  to  accomplish  that  end. 

One  day,  while  Peterkin  and  I  were  seated  beside  our 
table,  on  which  dinner  was  spread,  Jack  came  up  from 
the  beach,  and,  flinging  down  his  axe,  exclaimed  : 

"  There,  lads,  the  boat's  finished  at  last !  so  we've  noth- 
ing to  do  now  but  shape  two  pair  of  oars,  and  then  we 
may  put  to  sea  as  soon  as  we  like." 

This  piece  of  news  threw  us  into  a  state  of  great  joy ; 
for  although  we  were  aware  that  the  boat  had  been  grad- 
ually getting  near  its  completion,  it  had  taken  so  long 
that  we  did  not  expect  it  to  be  quite  ready  for  at  least 
two  or  three  weeks.  But  Jack  had  wrought  hard  and 
said  nothing,  in  order  to  surprise  us. 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  1  13 

"My  dear  follow,"  cried  Peterkin,  "you're  a  perfect 
trump.  But  why  did  you  not  tell  us  it  was  so  nearly 
ready  ?  won't  we  have  a  "jolly  sail  to-morrow  ?  eli  ?  " 

"  Don't  talk  so  much,  Peterkin,"  said  Jack  ;  "  and, 
pray,  hand  me  a  bit  of  that  pig." 

"  Certainly,  my  dear,"  cried  Peterkin,  seizing  the  axe ; 
"  what  part  will  you  have  ?  a  leg,  or  a  wing,  or  a  piece 
of  the  breast  :  which  ?" 

"  A  hind  leg,  if  you  please,"  answered  Jack  ;  "  and, 
pray,  be  so  good  as  to  include  the  tail." 

w-  Willi  all  my  heart,"  said  Peterkin,  exchanging  the 
axe  for  his  hoop-iron  knife,  with  which  he  cut  off  the 
desired  portion.  "  I'm  only  too  glad,  my  dear  boy,  to 
see  that  your  appetite  is  so  wholesale;  and  thereof 
chance  whatever  of  its  dwindling  down  into  re-tail  again, 
at  least  in  so  far  as  this  pig  is  concerned.  Ralph,  lad, 
why  don't  you  laugh?  —  eh?"  he  added,  turning  sud- 
denly to  me  with  a  severe  look  of  inquiry. 

"  Laugh  ?  "  said  I ;  "  what  at,  Peterkin  ?  why  should  I 
laugh?" 

I>oth  Jack  and  Peterkin  answered  this  inquiry  by 
themselves  laughing  so  immoderately  that  I  was  induced 
to  believe  I  had  missed  noticing  some  good  joke,  so  I 
ed  that  it  might  be  explained  to  me;  but  as  this  only 
produced  repeated  roars  of  laughter,  I  smiled  and  helped 
myself  to  another  slice  of  plantain. 

f*  Well,  but,"  continued  Peterkin,  H  I  was  talking  of  a 
sail  to-morrow.     Can't  we  have  one,  Jack  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  Jack,  "  we  can't  have  a  sail,  but  I  hope 
we  Bhall  have  a  row,  as  I  intend  to  work  hard  at  the  oars 
this  afternoon,  and  if  we  can't  get  them  finished  by  sun- 
set we'll  light  our  candle-nuts,  and  turn  them  out  of  hands 
before  we  turn  into  bed." 


144  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

"  Very  good,"  said  Peterkin,  tossing  a  lump  of  pork  to 
the  cat,  who  received  it  with  a  mew  of  satisfaction.  "  I'll 
help  you,  if  I  can." 

"  Afterwards,"  continued  Jack,  "  we  will  make  a  sail 
out  of  the  cocoa-nut  cloth,  and  rig  up  a  mast,  and  then 
we  shall  be  able  to  sail,  to  some  of  the  other  islands,  and 
visit  our  old  friends  the  penguins." 

The  prospect  of  being  so  soon  in  a  position  to  extend 
our  observations  to  the  other  islands,  and  enjoy  a  sail 
over  the  beautiful  sea,  afforded  us  much  delight,  and, 
after  dinner,  we  set  about  making  the  oars  in  good  earnest. 
Jack  went  into  the  woods  and  blocked  them  roughly  out 
with  the  axe,  and  I  smoothed  them  down  with  the  knife, 
while  Peterkin  remained  in  the  bower,  spinning,  or, 
rather,  twisting  some  strong,  thick  cordage  with  which  to 
fasten' them  to  the  boat. 

We  worked  hard  and  rapidly,  so  that  when  the  sun 
went  down,  Jack  and  I  returned  to  the  bower  with  four 
stout  oars,  which  required  little  to  be  done  to  them  save 
a  slight  degree  of  polishing  with  the  knife.  As  we  drew 
near  we  were  suddenly  arrested  by  the  sound  of  a  voice  ! 
We  were  not  a  little  surprised  at  this  —  indeed,  I  may 
almost  say  alarmed  —  for,  although  Peterkin  was  un- 
doubtedly fond  of  talking,  we  had  never,  up  to  this  time, 
found  him  talking  to  himself.  We  listened  intently,  and 
still  heard  the  sound  of  a  voice  as  if  in  conversation. 
Jack  motioned  me  to  be  silent,  and,  advancing  to  the 
bower  on  tiptoe,  we  peeped  in. 

The  sight  that  met  our  gaze  was  certainly  not  a  little 
amusing.  On  the  top  of  a  log  which  we  sometimes  used 
as  a  table,  sat  the  black  cat,  with  a  very  demure  express- 
ion on  its  countenance  ;  and  in  front  of  it,  sitting  on  the 
ground,  with  his  legs  extended  on  either  side  of  the  log, 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  1  1"> 

was  Peterkin.  At  the  moment  we  saw  him  he  was  gaz- 
ing intently  into  the  cat's  face,  with  his  nose  about  four 
inches  from  it,  —  his  hands  being  thrust  into  his  breeches 
pockets. 

"  Cat,"  said  Peterkin,  turning  his  head  a  little  on  one 
side,  u  I  love  you  !  " 

There  was  a  pause,  as  if  Peterkin  awaited  a  reply  to 
this  affectionate  declaration.     But  the  cat  said  nothing. 

"  Do  you  hear  me  ?  "  cried  Peterkin  sharply.  "  I  love 
you  —  I  do.     Don't  you  love  me  ?  " 

To  this  touching  appeal  the  cat  said  "  Mew,"  faintly. 

"  Ah  !  that's  right.  You're  a  jolly  old  rascal.  Why 
did  you  not  speak  at  once  ?  eh  ?  "  and  Peterkin  put  for- 
ward his  mouth  and  kissed  the  cat  on  the  nose  ! 

"  Yes,"  continued  Peterkin,  after  a  pause,  "  I  love  you. 
D'you  think  I'd  say  so  if  I  didn't,  you  black  villain  ?  I 
love  you  because  I've  got  to  take  care  of  you,  and  to  look 
after  you,  and  to  think  about  you,  and  to  see  that  you 
don't  die  —  " 

"  Mew,  me-a-w  !  "  said  the  cat. 

"  Very  good,"  continued  Peterkin,  "  quite  true,  I  have 
no  doubt ;  but  you've  no  right  to  interrupt  me,  sir.  Hold 
your  tongue  till  I  have  done  speaking.  Moreover,  cat,  I 
love  you  because  you  came  to  me  the  first  time  you  ever 
saw  me,  and  didn't  seem  to  be  afraid,  and  appeared  to  be 
fond  of  me,  though  you  didn't  know  that  I  wasn't  going 
to  kill  you.  Now,  that  was  brave,  that  was  bold,  and 
very  jolly,  old  boy,  and  I  love  you  for  it  —  I  do  !  " 

Again  there  was  a  pause  of  a  few  minutes,  during 
which  the  cat  looked  placid,  and  Peterkin  dropped  his 
eyes  upon  its  toes  as  if  in  contemplation.  Suddenly  he 
looked  up. 

u  Well,  cat,  what  are  you  thinking  about  now  ?  won't 
10 


146  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

speak  ?  eh  ?  Now,  tell  me  ;  don't  yon  think  it's  a  mon- 
strous shame  that  these  two  scoundrels,  Jack  and  Ralph, 
should  keep  us  waiting  for  our  supper  so  long  ?" 

Here  the  cat  arose,  put  up  its  back  and  stretched 
itself;  yawned  slightly,  and  licked  the  point  of  Peter- 
kin's  nose ! 

"  Just  so,  old  boy,  you're  a  clever  fellow,  —  I  really  do 
believe  the  brute  understands  me  ! "  said  Peterkin,  while 
a  broad  grin  overspread  his  face,  as  he  drew  back  and 
surveyed  the  cat. 

At  this  point  Jack  burst  into  a  loud  fit  of  laughter. 
The  cat  uttered  an  angry  fuff  and  fled,  while  Peterkin 
sprang  up  and  exclaimed,  — 

"  Bad  luck  to  you,  Jack  !  you've  nearly  made  the  heart 
jump  out  of  my  body,  you  have." 

"  Perhaps  I  have,"  replied  Jack,  laughing,  as  we  en- 
tered the  bower,  "  but,  as  I  don't  intend  to  keep  you  or 
the  cat  any  longer  from  your  supper,  I  hope  that  you'll 
both  forgive  me." 

Peterkin  endeavored  to  turn  this  affair  off  with  a 
laugh,  but  I  observed  that  he  blushed  very  deeply  at  the 
time  we  discovered  ourselves,  and  he  did  not  seem  to 
relish  any  allusion  to  the  subject  afterwards  ;  so  we 
refrained  from  remarking  on  it  ever  after,  —  though  it 
tickled  us  not  a  little  at  the  time. 

After  supper  we  retired  to  rest  and  to  dream  of  won- 
derful adventures  in  our  little  boat,  and  distant  voyages 
upon  the  sea. 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  147 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

THE  BOAT  LAUNCHED  —  WE  VISIT  THE  CORAL  REEF— THE  GREAT 
BREAKEB  THAT  NEVER  QOES  DOWN  —  CORAL  INSECTS  — THE 
WAV  IN  WHICH  CORAL  ISLANDS  ARE  MADE  — THE  BOATS  SAIL 
—  WE  TAX  OUR  [NGENUITY  TO  FORM  FISH-HOOKS  — SOME  OF 
THE  FISH  WE  SAW  —  AND  A  MONSTROUS  WHALE  —  WONDER- 
HI.  SHOWER   OB   LITTLE    FISH  —  WATER-SPOUTS. 

IT  was  a  bright,  clear,  beautiful  morning,  when  we 
first  launched  our  little  boat  and  rowed  out  OfKga 
the  placid  waters  of  the  lagoon.  Not  a  breath  of  wind 
ruffled  the  surface  of  the  deep.  Not  a  cloud  spotted  the 
deep  blue  Bky.  Not  a  sound  that  was  discordant  broke 
the  stillness  of  the  morning,  although  there  were  many 
sounds,  sweet,  tiny,  and  melodious,  that  mingled  in  the 
universal  harmony  of  nature.  The  sun  was  just  rising 
from  the  Pacific's  ample  bosom  and  tipping  the  mountain 
tops  with  a  red  glow.  The  sea  was  shining  like  a  sheet 
of  glass,  yet  heaving  with  the  long  deep  swell  that,  all 
the  world  round,  indicates  the  life  of  ocean;  and  the 
bright  sea-weeds  and  the  brilliant  corals  shone  in  the 
depths  of  that  pellucid  water,  as  we  rowed  over  it,  like 
rare  and  precious  gems.  Oh  !  it  was  a  sight  fitted  to 
stir  the  soul  of  man  to  its  profoundest  depths,  and,  if  he 
owned  a  heart  at  all,  to  lift  that  heart  in  adoration  and 
gratitude  to  the  great  Creator  of  this  magnificent  and 
glorious  universe. 

At  first,  in  the  strength  of  our  delight,  we  rowed  hither 
and  thither  without  aim  or  object.     But  after  the  etfer- 


148  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

vescence  of  our  spirits  was  abated,  we  began  to  look 
about  us  and  to  consider  what  we  should  do. 

"  I  vote  that  we  row  to  the  reef,"  cried  Peterkin. 

"  And  I  vote  that  we  visit  the  islands  within  the  la- 
goon," said  I. 

"  And  I  vote  we  do  both,"  cried  Jack,  "  so  pull  away, 
boys." 

As  I  have  already  said,  we  had  made  four  oars,  but 
our  boat  was  so  small  that  only  two  were  necessary. 
The  extra  pair  were  reserved  in  case  any  accident  should 
happen  to  the  others.  It  was  therefore  only  needful  that 
two  of  us  should  row,  while  the  third  steered,  by  means 
of  an  oar,  and  relieved  the  rowers  occasionally. 

First  we  landed  on  one  of  the  small  islands  and  ran 
all  over  it,  but  saw  nothing  worthy  of  particular  notice. 
Then  we  landed  on  a  larger  island,  on  which  were  grow- 
ing a  few  cocoa-nut  trees.  Not  having  eaten  anything 
that  morning,  we  gathered  a  few  of  the  nuts  and  break- 
fasted. After  this  we  pulled  straight  out  to  sea  and 
landed  on  the  coral  reef. 

This  was  indeed  a  novel  and  interesting  sight  to  us. 
We  had  now  been  so  long  on  shore  that  we  had  almost 
forgotten  the  appearance  of  breakers,  for  there  were 
none  within  the  lagoon ;  but  now,  as  we  stood  beside  the 
foam-crested  billow  of  the  open  sea,  all  the  enthusiasm 
of  the  sailor  was  awakened  in  our  breasts ;  and,  as  we 
gazed  on  the  wide-spread  ruin  of  that  single  magnificent 
breaker  that  burst  in  thunder  at  our  feet,  we  forgot  the 
Coral  Island  behind  us ;  we  forgot  our  bower  and  the 
calm  repose  of  the  scented  woods  ;  we  forgot  all  that 
had  passed  during  the  last  few  months,  and  remembered 
nothing  but  the  storms,  the  calms,  the  fresh  breezes,  and 
the  surging  billows  of  the  open  sea. 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  149 

This  huge,  ceaseless  breaker,  to  which  I  have  so  often 
alluded,  was  a  much  larger  and  more  sublime  object  than 
we  had  at  all  imagined  it  to  be.  It  rose  many  yards 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  could  be  seen  approach- 
ing at  some  distance  from  the  reef.  Slowly  and  majes- 
tically it  came  on,  acquiring  greater  volume  and  velocity 
as  it  advanced,  until  it  assumed  the  form  of  a  clear 
watery  arch,  which  sparkled  in  the  bright  sun.  On  it 
came  with  resistless  and  solemn  majesty,  —  the  upper 
edge  lipped  gently  over,  and  it  fell  with  a  roar  that 
seemed  as  though  the  heart  of  Ocean  were  broken  in 
the  crash  of  tumultuous  water,  while  the  foam-clad  coral 
reef  appeared  to  tremble  beneath  the  mighty  shock  ! 

We  gazed  long  and  wonderingly  at  this  great  sight, 
and  it  was  with  difficulty  we  could  tear  ourselves  away 
from  it.  As  I  have  once  before  mentioned,  this  wave 
broke  in  many  places  over  the  reef  and  scattered  some 
of  its  spray  into  the  lagoon,  but  in  most  places  the  reef 
was  sufficiently  broad  and  elevated  to  receive  and  check 
its  entire  force.  In  many  places  the  coral  rocks  were 
covered  with  vegetation,  —  the  beginning,  as  it  appeared 
to  us,  of  future  islands.  Thus,  on  this  reef,  we  came 
to  perceive  how  most  of  the  small  islands  of  those  seas 
are  formed.  On  one  part  we  saw  the  spray  of  the 
breaker  washing  over  the  rocks,  and  millions  of  little, 
active,  busy  creatures  continuing  the  work  of  building  up< 
this  living  rampart.  At  another  place,  which  was  just  a 
little  too  high  for  the  waves  to  wash  over  it,  the  coral 
insects  were  all  dead ;  for  we  found  that  they  never  did 
their  work  above  water.  They  had  faithfully  completed 
the  mighty  work  which  their  Creator  had  given  them  to 
do,  and  they  were  now  all  dead.  Again,  in  other  spots 
the  ceaseless  lashing  of  the  sea  had  broken    the   dead 


150  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

coral  in  pieces,  and  cast  it  up  in  the  form  of  sand. 
Here  sea-birds  had  alighted,  little  pieces  of  sea-weed  and 
stray  bits  of  wood  had  been  washed  up,  seeds  of  plants 
had  been  carried  by  the  wind,  and  a  few  lovely  blades 
of  bright  green  had  already  sprung  up,  which,  when  they 
died,  would  increase  the  size  and  fertility  of  these  emer- 
alds of  Ocean.  At  other  places  these  islets  had  grown 
apace,  and  were  shaded  by  one  or  two  cocoa-nut  trees, 
which  grew,  literally,  in  the  sand,  and  were  constantly 
washed  by  the  ocean  spray  ;  yet,  as  I  have  before  re- 
marked, their  fruit  was  most  refreshing  and  sweet  to 
our  taste. 

Again  at  this  time  Jack  and  I  pondered  the  formation 
of  the  large  coral  islands.  We  could  now  understand 
how  the  low  ones  were  formed,  but  the  larger  islands 
cost  us  much  consideration,  yet  we  could  arrive  at  no 
certain  conclusion  on  the  subject. 

Having  satisfied  our  curiosity  and  enjoyed  ourselves 
during  the  whole  day,  in  our  little  boat,  we  returned, 
somewhat  wearied,  and,  withal,  rather  hungry,  to  our 
bower. 

"  Now,"  said  Jack,  "  as  our  boat  answers  so  well,  we 
will  get  a  mast  and  sail  made  immediately." 

"  So  we  will,"  cried  Peterkin,  as  we  all  assisted  to  drag 
the  boat  above  high-water  mark ;  "  we'll  light  our  candle 
•and  set  about  it  this  very  night.  Hurrah,  my  boys,  pull 
away ! " 

As  we  dragged  our  boat,  we  observed  that  she  grated 
heavily  on  her  keel ;  and,  as  the  sands  were  in  this  place 
mingled  with  broken  coral  rocks,  we  saw  portions  of  the 
wood  being  scraped  off. 

"  Hallo  ! "  cried  Jack,  on  seeing  this.  '■'  That  won't  do. 
Our  keel  will  be  worn  off  in  no  time  at  this  rate." 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  151 

"  So  it  will,"  said  I,  pondering  deeply  as  to  how  this 
might  In  prevented.  But  I  am  not  of  a  mechanical  turn, 
naturally,  bo  I  could  conceive  no  remedy  save  that  of 
putting  a  plate  of  iron  on  the  keel,  but  as  we  had  no  iron 
I  knew  not  what  was  to  be  done.  "It  seems  to  me,  Jack," 
I  added,  "  that  it  is  impossible  to  prevent  the  keel  being 
worn  off  thus*" 

"Impossible!"  cried  Peterkin,  "my  dear  Ralph  you 
are  mistaken,  there  is  nothing  so  easy." 

"  How  ?  "  I  inquired,  in  some  surprise. 

"Why,  by  not  using  the  boat  at  all!"  replied  Pe- 
terkin. 

"  Hold  your  impudent  tongue,  Peterkin,"  said  Jack, 
a-  he  shouldered  the  oars,  "come  along  with  me  and  I'll 
give  you  work  to  do.  In  the  lirst  place,  you  will  go  and 
collect  cocoa-nut  fibre,  and  set  to  work  to  make  sewing 
twine  with  it  —  " 

11  Please,  captain,"  interrupted  Peterkin,  "  I've  got  lots 
of  it  made  already,  —  more  than  enough,  as  a  little  friend 
of  mine  used  to  be  in  the  habit  of  saying  every  day  after 
dinner." 

"  Very  well,"  continued  Jack  ;  "  then  you'll  help  Ralph 
to  collect  cocoa-nut  cloth,  and  cut  it  into  shape,  after 
which  we'll  make  a  sail  of  it.  I'll  see  to  getting  the  mast 
and  the  gearing;  so  let's  to  work." 

And  to  work  we  went  right  busily,  so  that  in  three 
days  from  that  time  we  had  set  up  a  mast  and  sail,  with 
the  necessary  rigging,  in  our  little  boat.  The  sail  was 
not,  indeed,  very  handsome  to  look  at,  as  it  was  formed 
of  a  number  of  oblong  patches  of  cloth ;  but  we  had 
sewed  it  well  by  means  of  our  sail-needle,  so  that  it  was 
strong,  which  was  the  chief  point.  Jack  had  also  over- 
come the  difficulty  about  the  keel,  by  pinning  to  it  a  false 


152  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

keel.  This  was  a  piece  of  tough  wood,  of  the  same 
length  and  width  as  the  real  keel,  and  about  five  inches 
deep.  He  made  it  of  this  depth  because  the  boat  would 
be  thereby  rendered  not  only  much  more  safe,  but  more 
able  to  beat  against  the  wind ;  which,  in  a  sea  where  the 
trade-winds  blow  so  long  and  so  steadily  in  one  direction, 
was  a  matter  of  great  importance.  This  piece  of  wood 
was  pegged  very  firmly  to  the  keel ;  and  we  now  launched 
our  boat  with  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  when  the 
false  keel  should  be  scraped  off  we  could  easily  put  on 
another ;  whereas,  should  the  real  keel  have  been  scraped 
away,  we  could  not  have  renewed  it  without  taking  our 
boat  to  pieces,  which  Peterkin  said  made  his  "  marrow 
quake  to  think  upon." 

The  mast  and  sail  answered  excellently  ;  and  we  now 
sailed  about  in  the  lagoon  with  great  delight,  and  exam- 
ined with  much  interest  the  appearance  of  our  island 
from  a  distance.  Also,  we  gazed  into  the  depths  of  the 
water,  and  watched  for  hours  the  gambols  of  the  curious 
and  bright-colored  fish  among  the  corals  and  sea-weed. 
Peterkin  also  made  a  fishing  line,  and  Jack  constructed  a 
number  of  hooks,  some  of  which  were  very  good,  others 
remarkably  bad.  Some  of  these  hooks  were  made  of 
iron-wood,  which  did  pretty  well,  the  wood  being  ex- 
tremely hard,  and  Jack  made  them  very  thick  and  large. 
Fish  there  are  not  particular.  Some  of  the  crooked  bones 
in  fish-heads  also  answered  for  this  purpose  pretty  well. 
But  that  which  formed  our  best  and  most  serviceable 
hook  was  the  brass  finger-ring  belonging  to  Jack.  It 
gave  him  not  a  little  trouble  to  manufacture  it.  First  he 
cut  it  with  the  axe ;  then  twisted  it  into  the  form  of  a 
hook.  The  barb  took  him  several  hours  to  cut.  He  did 
it  by  means  of  constant  sawing  with  the  broken  penknife. 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  153 

As  for  the  point,  an  hour's  rubbing  on  a  piece  of  sand- 
stone made  an  excellent  one. 

It  would  be  a  matter  of  much  time  and  labor  to  de- 
scribe the  appearance  of  the  multitudes  of  fish  that 
were  day  after  day  drawn  into  our  boat  by  means  of  the 
brass  hook.  Peterkin  always  caught  them, —  for  we  ob- 
served that  he  derived  much   pleasure  from  fishing, 

while  Jack  and  I  found  ample  amusement  in  looking  on, 
also  in  gazing  down  at  the  coral  groves,  and  in  baiting  the 
hook.     Among  the  fish  that  we  saw,  but  did  not  catch, 
Wgre  porpoises  and  sword-fish,  whales  and  sharks.     The 
porpoises  came  frequently  into  our  lagoon  in  shoals,  ancl 
amused  us  not  a  little  by  their  bold  leaps  into  the  air,  and 
their  playful  gambols  in  the   sea.     The  sword-fish  were 
wonderful  creatures ;  some  of  them  apparently   ten  feet 
in  length,  with  an  ivory  spear,  six  or  eight  feet  long,  pro- 
jecting from  their  noses.     We  often   saw  them   darting 
after  other  fish,  and  no  doubt  they  sometimes  killed  them 
with  their  ivory  swords.     Jack  remembered  having  heard 
once  of  a  sword-fish   attacking  a  ship,  — which   seemed 
strange  indeed;  but,  as  they  are  often  in  the  habit  of  at- 
tacking whales,  perhaps  it  mistook  the  ship  for  one.  This 
sword-fish  ran  against   the  vessel  with  such  force,  that  it 
drove   its   sword  quite  through   the  thick    planks;    and 
when  the  ship  arrived  in  the  harbor,  long  afterwards,  the 
sword  was  found  still  sticking  in  it ! 

Sharks  did  not  often  appear ;  but  we  took  care  never 
again  to  bathe  in  deep  water  without  leaving  one  of  our 
number  in  the  boat  to  give  us  warning,  if  he  should  see  a 
shark  approaching.  As  for  the  whales,  they  never  came 
into  our  lagoon,  but  we  frequently  saw  them  spouting  in 
the  deep  water  beyond  the  reef.  I  shall  never  forget°my 
surprise  the  first  clay  I  saw  one  of  these  huge  monsters  close 


154  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

tome.  We  had  been  rambling  about  on  the  reef  during 
the  morning,  and  were  about  to  re-embark  in  our  little 
boat,  to  return  home,  when  a  loud  blowing  sound  caused 
us  to  wheel  rapidly  round.  We  were  just  in  time  to  see 
a  shower  of  spray  falling,  and  the  flukes  or  tail  of  some 
monstrous  fish  disappear  in  the  sea  a  few  hundred  yards 
off.  We  waited  some  time  to  see  if  he  would  rise  again. 
As  we  stood,  the  sea  seemed  to  open  up  at  our  very  feet ; 
an  immense  spout  of  water  was  sent  with  a  snort  high 
into  the  air,  and  the  huge  blunt  head  of  a  sperm  whale 
*arose  before  us.  It  was  so  large  that  it  could  easily  have 
taken  our  little  boat,  along  with  ourselves,  into  its  mouth ! 
It  plunged  slowly  back  into  the  sea,  like  a  large  ship 
foundering,  and  struck  the  water  with  its  tail  so  forcibly 
as  to  cause  a  sound  like  a  cannon  shot. 

We  also  saw  a  great  number  of  flying-fish,  although 
we  caught  none  ;  and  we  noticed  that  they  never  flew  out 
of  the  water  except  when  followed  by  their  bitter  foe,  the 
dolphin,  from  whom  they  thus  endeavored  to  escape.  But 
of  all  the  fish  that  we  saw,  none  surprised  us  so  much  as 
those  that  we  used  to  find  in  shallow  pools  after  a  shower 
of  rain  ;  and  this  not  on  account  of  their  appearance,  for 
they  were  ordinary-looking  and  very  small,  but  on  account 
of  their  having  descended  in  a  shower  of  rain !  We 
could  account  for  them  in  no  other  way,  because  the  pools 
in  which  we  found  these  fish  were  quite  dry  before  the 
shower,  and  at  some  distance  above  high-water  mark. 
Jack,  however,  suggested  a  cause  which  seemed  to  me 
very  probable.  We  used  often  to  see  water-spouts  in  the 
sea.  A  water-spout  is  a  whirling  body  of  water,  which 
rises  from  the  sea  like  a  sharp-pointed  pillar.  After  ris- 
ing a  good  way,  it  is  met  by  a  long  tongue,  which  comes 
down  from  the  clouds  ;  and  when  the  two   have  joined, 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  155 

they  look  something  like  an  hour-glass.  The  water-spout 
is  then  carried  by  the  wind,  sometimes  gently,  sometimes 
with  violence,  over  the  sea,  sometimes  up  into  the  cloud-, 
and  then,  bursting  asunder,  it  descends  in  a  deluge.  This 
often  happens  over  the  land  as  well  as  over  the  sea  ;  and 
it  sometimes  does  much  damage,  but  frequently  it  passes 
gently  away.  Now,  Jack  thought  that  the  little  fish 
might  perhaps  have  been  carried  up  in  a  water-spout,  and 
SO  -'iit  down  again  in  a  shower  of  rain.  But  we  could 
not  be  certain  as  to  this  point ;  yet  we  thought  it  likely. 
During  these  delightful  fishing  and  boating  excursions 

o  o  o  o 

we  caught  a  good  many  eels,  which  we  found  to  be  very 
good  to  eat.  We  also  found  turtles  among  the  coral  rocks, 
and  made  excellent  sou})  in  our  iron  kettle.  Arm-nov^r, 
we  discovered  many  shrimps  and  prawns,  so  that  we  had 
no  lack  of  variety  in  our  food  ;  and,  indeed,  we  never 
passed  a  week  without  making  some  new  and  interesting 
discovery  of  some  sort  or  other,  either  on  the  land  or  in 
the  sea. 


156  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


A  MONSTER  WAVE  AND  ITS  CONSEQUENCES  —  THE  BOAT  LOST  AND 
FOUND  — PETERKINS  TERRIBLE  ACCIDENT —SUPPLIES  OF  FOOD 
FOR  A  VOYAGE  IN  THE  BOAT  — WE  VISIT  PENGUIN  ISLAND,  AND 
ARE  AMAZED  BEYOND  MEASURE  — ACCOUNT  OF  THE  PENGUINS. 


ONE  day,  not  long  after  our  little  boat  was  finished, 
we  were  sitting  on  the  rocks  at  Spouting  Cliff,  and 
talking  of  an  excursion  which  we  intended  to  make  to 
Penguin  Island  the  next  day. 

"  You  see,"  said  Peterkin,  "  it  might  be  all  very  well 
for  a  stupid  fellow  like  me  to  remain  here  and  leave  the 
penguins  alone,  but  it  would  be  quite  inconsistent  with 
your  characters  as  philosophers  to  remain  any  longer  in 
ignorance  of  the  habits  and  customs  of  these  birds ;  so 
the  sooner  we  go  the  better." 

"  Very  true,"  said  I ;  "  there  is  nothing  I  desire  so 
much  as  to  have  a  closer  inspection  of  them." 

"  And  I  think,"  said  Jack,'  "  that  you  had  better  remain 
at  home,  Peterkin,  to  take  care  of  the  cat ;  for  I'm 
sure  the  hogs  will  be  at  it  in  your  absence,  out  of  re- 
venge for  your  killing  their  great-grandmother  so  reck- 
lessly." 

"  Stay  at  home  ?  "  cried  Peterkin  ;  "  my  dear  fellow, 
you  would  certainly  lose  your  way,  or  get  upset,  if  I  were 
not  there  to  take  care  of  you." 

"  Ah,  true,"  said  Jack,  gravely,  "  that  did  not  occur  to 
me ;  no  doubt  you  must  go.     Our  boat  does  require  a 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  157 

good  deal  of  ballast ;  and  all  that  you  say,  Peterkin,  car- 
ries so  much  weight  with  it,  that  we  won't  need  stones  if 
you  go." 

Now,  while  my  companions  were  talking,  a  notable 
event  occurred,  which,  as  it  is  not  generally  known,  I 
shall  be  particular  in  recording  here. 

While  we  were  talking,  as  I  have  said,  we  noticed  a 
dark  line,  like  a  low  cloud  or  fog-bank,  on  the  seaward 
horizon.  The  day  was  a  fine  one,  though  cloudy,  and  a 
gentle  breeze  was  blowing,  but  the  sea  was  not  rougher, 
or  the  breaker  on  the  reef  higher  than  usual.  At  first, 
we  thought  that  this  looked  like  a  thunder-cloud  ;  and,  as 
we  had  had  a  good  deal  of  broken  weather  of  late,  ac- 
companied by  occasional  peals  of  thunder,  we  supposed 
that  a  storm  must  be  approaching.  Gradually,  however, 
this  line  seemed  to  draw  nearer,  without  spreading  up 
over  the  sky,  as  would  certainly  have  been  the  case  if  it 
had  been  a  storm-cloud.  Still  nearer  it  came,  and  soon 
we  saw  that  it  was  moving  swiftly  towards  the  island ; 
but  there  was  no  sound  till  it  reached  the  islands  out  at 
sea.  As  it  passed  these  islands,  we  observed,  with  no 
little  anxiety  that  a  cloud  of  white  foam  encircled  them, 
and  burst  in  spray  into  tne  air ;  —  it  was  accompanied 
by  a  loud  roar.  This  led  us  to  conjecture  that  the  ap- 
proaching object  was  an  enormous  wave  of  the  sea ;  but 
we  had  no  idea  how  large  it  was  till  it  came  near  to  our- 
selves. When  it  approached  the  outer  reef,  however,  we 
were  awe-struck  with  its  unusual  magnitude  ;  and  we 
sprang  to  our  feet,  and  clambered  hastily  up  to  the  high- 
est point  of  the  precipice,  under  an  indefinable  feeling  of 
fear. 

I  have  said  before  that  the  reef  opposite  Spouting 
Cliff  was  very  near  to  the  shore,  while,  just  in  front  of 


158  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

the  bower,  it  was  at  a  considerable  distance  out  to  sea. 
Owing  to  this  formation,  the  wave  reached  the  reef  at 
the  latter  point  before  it  struck  at  the  foot  of  Spouting 
Cliff.  The  instant  it  touched  the  reef  we  became  aware, 
for  the  first  time,  of  its  awful  magnitude.  It  burst  com- 
pletely over  the  reef  at  all  points,  with  a  roar  that  seemed 
louder  to  me  than  thunder ;  and  this  roar  continued 
for  some  seconds,  while  the  wave  rolled  gradually  along 
towards  the  cliff  on  which  we  stood.  As  its  crest  reared 
before  us,  we  felt  that  we  were  in  great  danger,  and 
turned  to  flee  ;  but  we  were  too  late.  With  a  crash  that 
seemed  to  shake  the  solid  rocks,  the  gigantic  billow  fell, 
and  instantly  the  spou ting-holes  sent  up  a  gush  of  water- 
spouts with  such  force  that  they  shrieked  on  issuing  from 
their  narrow  vents.  It  seemed  to  us  as  if  the  earth  had 
been  blown  up  with  water.  We  were  stunned  and  con- 
fused by  the  shock,  and  so  drenched  and  blinded  with 
spray,  that  we  knew  not  for  a  few  moments  whither  to 
flee  for  shelter.  At  length  we  all  three  gained  an  emi- 
nence beyond  the  reach  of  the  water ;  but  what  a  scene 
of  devastation  met  our  gaze,  as  we  looked  along  the 
shore !  This  enormous  wave  not  only  burst  over  the 
reef,  but  continued  its  way  across  the  lagoon,  and  fell  on 
the  sandy  beach  of  the  island  with  such  force  that  it 
passed  completely  over  it  and  dashed  into  the  woods,  lev- 
elling the  smaller  trees  and  bushes  in  its  headlong  course  ! 
On  seeing  this,  Jack  said  he  feared  our  bower  must 
have  been  swept  away,  and  that  the  boat,  which  was  on 
the  beach,  must  have  been  utterly  destroyed.  Our  hearts 
sank  within  us  as  we  thought  of  this,  and  we  hastened 
round  through  the  woods  towards  our  home.  On  reach- 
ing it  we  found  to  our  great  relief  of  mind,  that  the  force 
of  the  wave  had  been  expended  just  before  reaching  the 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  150 

bower;  bat  the  entrance  to  it  was  almost  blocked  up  by 
the  torn-up  bushes  and  tangled  heaps  of  sea-weed.  Hav- 
ing satisfied  ourselves  as  to  the  bower,  we  hurried  to  the 

<- 

spot  where  the  boat  had  been  left;  but  no  boat  was  there  '. 
The  spot  on  which  it  had  stood  was  vacant,  and  no  sign 
of  it  could  we  see  on  looking  around  us. 

"  It  may  have  been  washed  up  into  the  woods,"  said 
Jack,  hurrying  up  the  beach  as  lie  spoke.  Still,  no  boat 
was  to  be  seen,  and  we  were  about  to  give  ourselves  over 
to  despair,  when  Peterkin  called  to  Jack,  and  said  : — 

"Jack,  my  friend,  you  were  once  so  exceedingly  saga- 
cious and  wise  as  to  make  me  acquainted  with  the  fact 
that  cocoa-nuts  grow  upon  trees;  will  you  now  be  so 
good  as  to  inform  me  what  sort  of  fruit  that  is  growing 
on  the  top  of  yonder  bush?  for  I  confess  to  being  igno- 
rant, or,  at  least,  doubtful  on  the  point." 

We  looked  towards  the  bush  indicated,  and  there,  to 
our  surprise,  beheld  our  little  boat  snugly  nestled  among 
the  leaves!  AYe  were  very  much  overjoyed  at  this,  for 
we  would  have  suffered  any  loss  rather  than  the  loss  of 
our  boat.  We  found  that  the  wave  had  actually  borne 
the  boat  on  its  crest  from  the  beach  into  the  woods,  and 
there  launched  it  into  the  heart  of  this  bush  ;  which  was 
extremely  fortunate,  for  had  it  been  tossed  against  a  rock 
<»•  a  tire,  it  would  have  been  dashed  to  pieces,  whereas 
it  had  not  received  the  smallest  injury.  It  was  no  easy 
matter,  however,  to  get  it  out  of  the  bush  and  down  to 
the  sea  again.  This  cost  us  two  days  of  hard  labor  to 
accomplish. 

We  had  also  much  ado  to  clear  away  the  rubbish  from 
before  the  bower,  and  spent  nearly  a  week  in  constant 
labor  ere  we  got  the  neighborhood  to  look  as  clean  and 
orderly  as  before  ;  for  the  uprooted  bushes  and  sea-weed 


160  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

that  lay  on  the  beach  formed  a  more  dreadfully  confused 
looking  mass  than  one  who  had  not  seen  the  place  after 
the  inundation  could  conceive. 

Before  leaving  the  subject  I  may  mention,  for  the  sake 
of  those  who  interest  themselves  in  the  curious  natural 
phenomena  of  our  world,  that  this  gigantic  wave  occurs 
regularly  on  some  of  the  islands  of  the  Pacific,  once,  and 
sometimes  twice  in  the  year.  I  heard  this  stated  by  the 
missionaries  during  my  career  in  those  seas.  They  could 
not  tell  me  whether  it  visited  all  of  the  islands,  but  I  was 
certainly  assured  that  it  occurred  periodically  in  some  of 
them. 

After  we  had  got  our  home  put  to  rights,  and  cleared 
of  the  debris  of  the  inundation,  we  again  turned  our 
thoughts  to  paying  the  penguins  a  visit.  The  boat  was 
therefore  overhauled  and  a  few  repairs  done.  Then  we 
prepared  a  supply  of  provisions,  for  we  intended  to  be 
absent  at  least  a  night  or  two,  perhaps  longer.  This  took 
us  some  time  to  do,  for  while  Jack  was  busy  with  the  boat, 
Peterkin  was  sent  into  the  woods  to  spear  a  hog  or  two, 
and  had  to  search  long,  sometimes,  ere  he  found  them. 
Peterkin  was  usually  sent  on  this  errand,  when  we  wanted 
a  pork  chop  (which  was  not  seldom),  because  he  was  so 
active  and  could  run  so  wonderfully  fast  that  he  found  no 
difficulty  in  overtaking  the  hogs  ;  but,  being  dreadfully 
reckless,  he  almost  invariably  tumbled  over  stumps  and 
stones  in  the  course  of  his  wild  chase,  and  seldom  re- 
turned home  without  having  knocked  the  skin  off  his 
shins.  Once,  indeed,  a  more  serious  accident  happened 
to  him.  He  had  been  out  all  the  morning  alone,  and  did 
not  return  at  the  usual  time  to  dinner.  We  wondered  at 
this  for  Peterkin  was  always  very  punctual  at  the  dinner 
hour.     As  supper-time  drew  near  we  began  to  be  anx- 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  161 

ious  about  him,  and  at  length  sallied  forth  to  search  the 
woods.  For  a  long  time  we  sought  in  vain,  but  a  little 
before  dark  we  came  upon  the  tracks  of  the  hogs,  which 
we  followed  up  until  we  came  to  the  brow  of  a  rather 
steep  bank  or  precipice.  Looking  over  this  we  beheld 
Peterkin  lying  in  a  state  of  insensibility  at  the  foot,  with 
his  cluck  resting  on  the  snout  of  a  little  pig,  which  was 
pinned  to  the  earth  by  the  spear!  We  were  dreadfully 
alarmed,  but  hastened  to  bathe  his  forehead  with  water, 
and  had  soon  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  him  revive.  Af- 
ter we  had  carried  him  home,  he  related  to  us  how  the 
thing  had  happened. 

"  You  must  know,"  said  he,  "  I  walked  about  all  the 
forenoon,  till  I  was  as  tired  as  an  old  donkey,  without  see- 
ing a  single  grunter,  not  so  much  as  a  track  of  one ;  but, 
as  I  was  determined  not  to  return  empty-handed,  I  re- 
solved to  go  without  my  dinner,  and " 

"  What ! "  exclaimed  Jack,  "  did  you  really  resolve  to 
do  that  ?  " 

"  Now,  Jack,  hold  your  tongue,"  returned  Peterkin ; 
"  I  say  that  I  resolved  to  forego  my  dinner  and  to  push 
to  the  head  of  tlie  small  valley,  where  I  felt  pretty  sure  of 
discovering  the  hogs.  I  soon  found  that  I  was  on  the 
right  scent,  for  I  had  scarcely  walked  half  a  mile  in  the 
direction  of  the  small  plum-tree  we  found  there  the  other 
day,  when  a  squeak  fell  on  my  ear.  '  Ho,  ho,'  said  I, 
'  there  you  go,  my  boys  ; '  and  I  hurried  up  the  glen.  I 
soon  started  them,  and  singling  out  a  fat  pig,  ran  tilt  at 
him.  In  a  few  seconds  I  was  up  with  him,  and  stuck 
my  spear  right  through  his  dumpy  body.  Just  as  I  did  so, 
I  saw  that  we  were  on  the  edge  of  a  precipice,  whether 
high  or  low  I  knew  not,  but  I  had  been  running  at  such 
a  pace  that  I  could  not  stop,  so  the  pig  and  I  gave  a  howl 
11 


162  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

in  concert  and  went  plunging  over  together.  I  remem- 
bered nothing  more  after  that,  till  I  came  to  my  senses 
and  found  you  bathing  my  temples,  and  Ralph  wringing 
his  hands  over  me." 

But  although  Peterkin  was  often  unfortunate,  in  the 
way  of  getting  tumbles,  he  was  successful  on  the  present 
occasion  in  hunting,  and  returned  before  evening  with 
three  very  nice  little  hogs.  I,  also,  was  successful  in  my 
visit  to  the  mud-flats,  where  I  killed  several  ducks.  So 
that  when  we  launched  and  loaded  our  boat  at  sunrise 
the  following  morning,  we  found  our  store  of  provisions 
to  be  more  than  sufficient.  Part  had  been  cooked  the 
night  before,  and,  on  taking  note  of  the  different  items, 
we  found  the  account  to  stand  thus  :  — 

10  Breadfruits,  (two  baked,  eight  unbaked.) 
20  Yams,  (six  roasted,  the  rest  raw.) 

6  Taro  roots. 
50  Fine  large  plums. 

6  Cocoa-nuts,  ripe. 

6  Ditto  green,  (for  drinking.) 

4  Large  ducks  and  two  small  ones,  raw. 

3  Cold  roast  pigs,  with  stuffing. 
I  may  here  remark  that  the  stuffing  had  been  devised 
by  Peterkin  specially  for  the  occasion.  He  kept  the  man- 
ner of  its  compounding  a  profound  secret,  so  I  cannot  tell 
what  it  was ;  but  I  can  say,  with  much  confidence,  that 
we  found  it  to  be  atrociously  bad,  and  after  the  first  tast- 
ing, scraped  it  carefully  out  and  threw  it  overboard.  We 
calculated  that  this  supply  would  last  us  for  several  days, 
but  we  afterwards  found  that  it  was  much  more  than  we 
required,  especially  in  regard  to  the  cocoa-nuts,  of  which 
we  found  large  supplies  wherever  we  went.  However, 
as  Peterkin  remarked,  it  was  better  to  have  too  much 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  1G3 

than  too  little,  as  Ave  knew  not  to  what  straits  we  might 
be  put  during  our  voyage. 

It  was  a  very  calm,  sunny  morning  when  we  launched 
forth  and  rowed  over  the  lagoon  towards  the  outlet  in  the 
reef,  and  passed  between  the  two  green  islets  that  guard 
the  entrance.  We  experienced  some  difficulty  and  no  lit- 
tle danger  in  passing  the  surf  of  the  breaker,  and  shipped 
a  good  deal  of  water  in  the  attempt ;  but,  once  past  the 
billow,  we  found  ourselves  floating  placidly  on  the  long 
oily  -well  that  rose  and  fell  slowly  as  it  rolled  over  the 
wide  ocean. 

Penguin  Island  lay  on  the  other  side  of  our  own  island, 
at  about  a  mile  beyond  the  outer  reef,  and  we  calculated 
that  it  must  be  at  least  twenty  miles  distant  by  the  way 
we  should  have  to  go.  We  might,  indeed,  have  short- 
ened ill"  way  by  coasting  round  our  island  inside  of  the 
lagoon,  and  going  out  at  the  passage  in  the  reef  nearly 
opposite  to  Penguin  Island,  but  we  preferred  to  go  by  the 
open  sea  ;  first,  because  it  was  more  adventurous  ;  and. 
secondly,  because  we  should  have  the  pleasure  of  again 
feeling  the  motion  of  the  deep,  which  we  all  loved  very 
much,  not  being  liable  to  sea-sickness. 

"  I  wish  we  had  a  breeze,"  said  Jack. 

"  So  do  I,"  cried  Peterkin,  resting  on  his  oar  and  wip- 
ing his  heated  brow  ;  "  pulling  is  hard  work.  Oh  dear, 
if  we  could  only  catch  a  hundred  or  two  of  these  gulls,  tie 
them  to  the  boat  with  long  strings,  and  make  them  fly  as 
we  want  them,  how  capital  it  would  be  ! " 

"Or  bore  a  hole  through  a  shark's  tail,  and  reeve  a 
rope  through  it,  eh?"  remarked  Jack.  "But,  I  say,  it 
seems  that  my  wish  is  going  to  be  granted,  for  here  comes 
a  breeze.  Ship  your  oar,  Peterkin.  Up  with  the  mast, 
Ralph  ;  I'll  see  to  the  sail.  Mind  your  helm  ;  look  out 
for  squalls  !  " 


164  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

This  last  speech  was  caused  by  the  sudden  appearance 
of  a  dark  blue  line  on  the  horizon,  which  in  an  incredibly 
short  space  of  time,  swept  down  on  us,  lashing  up  the  sea 
in  white  foam  as  it  went.  We  presented  the  stern  of  the 
boat  to  its  first  violence,  and,  in  a  few  seconds,  it  moder- 
ated into  a  steady  breeze,  to  which  we  spread  our  sail 
and  flew  merrily  over  the  waves.  Although  the  breeze 
died  away  soon  afterwards,  it  had  been  so  stiff  while  it 
lasted,  that  we  were  carried  over  the  greater  part  of  our 
way  before  it  fell  calm  again ;  so  that,  when  the  flapping 
of  the  sail  against  the  mast  told  us  that  it  was  time  to 
resume  the  oars,  we  were  not  much  more  than  a  mile 
from  Penguin  Island. 

"  There  go  the  soldiers  !  "  cried  Peterkin,  as  we  came 
in  sight  of  it ;  "  how  spruce  their  white  trousers  look,  this 
morning !  I  wonder  if  they  will  receive  us  kindly.  D'you 
think  they  are  hospitable,  Jack  ?  " 

"  Don't  talk,  Peterkin,  but  pull  away,  and  you  shall  see 
shortly." 

As  we  drew  near  to  the  island  we  were  much  amused 
by  the  manoeuvres  and  appearance  of  these  strange  birds. 
They  seemed  to  be  of  different  species,  for  some  had 
crests  on  their  heads  while  others  had  none,  and  while 
some  were  about  the  size  of  a  goose  others  appeared 
nearly  as  large  as  a  swan.  We  also  saw  a  huge  albatross 
soaring  above  the  heads  of  the  penguins.  It  was  followed 
and  surrounded  by  numerous  flocks  of  sea-gulls.  Having 
approached  to  within  a  few  yards  of  the  island,  which 
was  a  low  rock,  with  no  other  vegetation  on  it  than  a  few 
bushes,  we  lay  on  our  oars  and  gazed  at  the  birds  with 
surprise  and  pleasure,  they  returning  our  gaze  with  in- 
terest. We  now  saw  that  their  soldierlike  appearance 
was  owing  to  the  stiff,  erect  manner  in  which  they  sat 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  1G5 

on  their  short  legs,  — "  Bolt-up-right,"  as  Peterkin  ex- 
pressed it.  They  had  black  heads,  long  sharp  beaks, 
white  breasts,  and  bluish  backs.  Their  wing-  were  so 
short  that  they  looked  more  like  the  fins  of  a  fish,  and, 
indeed,  we  soon  saw  that  they  used  them  for  the  purpose 
of  swimming  under  water.  There  were  no  quills  on  these 
wings,  but  a  sort  of  scaly  feathers  ;  which  also  thickly 
covered  their  bodies.  Their  legs  were  short,  and  plaeed 
so  far  back  that  the  birds,  while  on  land,  were  obliged  to 
stand  quite  upright  in  order  to  keep  their  balance  ;  but 
in  the  water  they  floated  like  other  water-fowl.  At  first 
we  were  so  stunned  with  the  clamor  which  they  and  other 
sea-birds  kept  up  around  us,  that  we  knew  not  which 
way  to  look,  —  for  they  covered  the  rocks  in  thousands  , 
but  as  we  continued  to  gaze,  we  observed  several  quad- 
rupeds (as  we  thought)  walking  in  the  midst  of  the  pen- 
guins. 

"  Pull  in  a  bit,"  cried  Peterkin,  "  and  let's  see  what 
these  are.  They  must  be  fond  of  noisy  company,  to  con- 
sort with  such  creatures." 

To  our  surprise  we  found  that  these  were  no  other 
than  penguins  which  had  gone  down  on  all  fours,  and 
were  crawling  among  the  bushes  on  their  feet  and  wings, 
just  like  quadrupeds.  Suddenly  one  big  old  bird,  that 
had  been  sitting  on  a  point  very  near  to  us,  gazing  in 
mute  astonishment,  became  alarmed,  and,  scuttling  down 
the  rocks,  plumped  or  fell,  rather  than  ran,  into  the  sea. 
It  dived  in  a  moment,  and,  a  few  seconds  afterwards, 
came  out  of  the  water  far  ahead,  with  such  a  spring, 
and  such  a  dive  back  into  the  sea  again,  that  we  could 
scarcely  believe  it  was  not  a  fish  that  had  leaped  in 
sport. 

k'  That  beats  everything,"  said  Peterkin,  rubbing  his 


166  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

nose,  and  screwing  up  his  face  with  an  expression  of 
exasperated  amazement.  "  I've  heard  of  a  thing  being 
neither  fish,  flesh  nor  fowl,  but  I  never  did  expect  to  live 
to  see  a  brute  that  was  all  three  together,  —  at  once,  —  in 
one  !  But  look  there ! "  he  continued,  pointing  with  a 
look  of  resignation  to  the  shore  ;  "  look  there  !  there's  no 
end  to  it.     What  has  that  brute  got  under  its  tail  ?" 

We  turned  to  look  in  the  direction  pointed  out,  and 
there  saw  a  penguin  walking  slowly  and  very  sedately 
along  the  shore  with  an  egg  under  its  tail.  There  were 
several  others,  we  observed,  burdened  in  the  same  way; 
and  we  found  afterwards  that  these  were  a  species  of 
penguins  that  always  carried  their  eggs  so.  Indeed,  they 
had  a  most  convenient  cavity  for  the  purpose,  just  be- 
tween the  tail  and  the  legs.  We  were  very  much  im- 
pressed with  the  regularity  and  order  of  this  colony. 
The  island  seemed  to  be  apportioned  out  into  squares,  of 
which  each  penguin  possessed  one,  and  sat  in  stiff  solem- 
nity in  the  middle  of  it,  or  took  a  slow  march  up  and 
down  the  spaces  between.  Some  were  hatching  their 
eggs,  but  others  were  feeding  their  young  ones  in  a  man- 
ner that  caused  us  to  laugh  not  a  little.  The  mother 
stood  on  a  mound  or  raised  rock,  while  the  young  one 
stood  patiently  below  her  on  the  ground.  Suddenly  the 
mother  raised  her  head  and  uttered  a  series  of  the  most 
discordant  cackling  sounds. 

"  She's  going  to  choke,"  cried  Peterkin. 

But  this  was  not  the  case,  although,  I  confess,  she 
looked  like  it.  In  a  few  seconds  she  put  down  her  head 
and  opened  her  mouth,  into  which  the  young  one  thrust 
its  beak  and  seemed  to  suck  something  from  her  throat. 
Then  the  cackling  was  renewed,  the  sucking  continued, 
and  so  the  operation  of  feeding  was  carried  on  till  the 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  1G7 

young  one  was  satisfied ;  but  what  she  fed  her  little  one 
with,  we  could  not  tell. 

"Now,  just  look  yonder!"  said  Peterkin,  in  an  ex- 
cited tone  ;  "  if  that  isn't  the  most  abominable  piece  of 
maternal  deception  I  ever  saw.  That  rascally  old  lady 
penguin  has  just  pitched  her  young  one  into  the  sea,  and 
there's  another  about  to  follow  her  example." 

This  indeed  seemed  to  be  the  case,  for,  on  the  top  of  a 
steep  rock  close  to  the  edge  of  the  sea,  we  observed  an 
old  penguin  endeavoring  to  entice  her  young  one  into  the 
water  ;  but  the  young  one  seemed  very  unwilling  to  go, 
and,  notwithstanding  the  enticements  of  its  mother,  moved 
very  slowly  towards  her.  At  last  she  went  gently  behind 
the  young  bird  and  pushed  it  a  little  towards  the  water, 
but  with  great  tenderness,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  Don't  be 
afraid,  darling  !  I  won't  hurt  you,  my  pet !  "  but  no 
sooner  did  she  get  it  to  the  edge  of  the  rock,  where  it  stood 
looking  pensively  down  at  the  sea,  than  she  gave  it  a  sud- 
den and  violent  push,  sending  it  headlong  down  the  slope 
into  the  water,  where  its  mother  left  it  to  scramble  ashore 
as  it  best  could.  We  observed  many  of  them  employed 
in  doing  this,  and  we  came  to  the  conclusion  that  this 
is  the  way  in  which  old  penguins  teach  their  children  to 
swim. 

Scarcely  had  we  finished  making  our  remarks  on  tin's, 
when  we  were  startled  by  about  a  dozen  of  the  old  birds 
hopping  in  the  most  clumsy  and  ludicrous  manner  towards 
the  sea.  The  beach,  here,  was  a  sloping  rock,  and  when 
they  came  to  it,  some  of  them  succeeded  in  hopping  down 
in  safety,  but  others  lost  their  balance  and  rolled  and 
scrambled  clown  the  slope  in  the  most  helpless  manner. 
The  instant  they  reached  the  water,  however,  they  seemed 
to  be  in  their  proper  element.     They  dived  and  bounded. 


168  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

out  of  it  and  into  it  again  with  the  utmost  agility  ;  and  so, 
diving  and  bounding  and  spluttering,  for  they  could  not 
fly,  they  went  rapidly  out  to  sea. 

On  seeing  this,  Peterkin  turned  with  a  grave  face  to 
us  and  said,  "  It's  my  opinion  that  these  birds  are  all 
stark,  staring  mad,  and  that  this  is  an  enchanted  island. 
I  therefore  propose  that  we  should  either  put  about 
ship  and  fly  in  terror  from  the  spot,  or  land  valor- 
ously  on  the  island,  and  sell  our  lives  as  dearly  as  we 
can." 

"  I  vote  for  landing,  so  pull  in,  lads,"  said  Jack,  giving 
a  stroke  with  his  oar  that  made  the  boat  spin.  In  a  few 
seconds  we  ran  the  boat  into  a  little  creek,  where  we 
made  her  fast  to  a  projecting  piece  of  coral,  and,  running 
up  the  beach,  entered  the  ranks  of  the  penguins  armed 
with  our  cudgels  and  our  spear.  We  were  greatly  sur- 
prised to  find  that,  instead  of  attacking  us  or  showing 
signs  of  fear  at  our  approach,  these  curious  birds  did  not 
move  from  their  places  until  we  laid  hands  on  them,  and 
merely  turned  their  eyes  on  us  in  solemn,  stupid  wonder 
as  we  passed.  There  was  one  old  penguin,  however,  that 
began  to  walk  slowly  towards  the  sea,  and  Peterkin  took 
it  into  his  head  that  he  would  try  to  interrupt  its  progress, 
so  he  ran  between  it  and  the  sea  and  brandished  his 
cudgel  in  its  face.  But  this  proved  to  be  a  resolute  old 
bird.  It  would  not  retreat ;  nay,  more,  it  would  not  cease 
to  advance,  but  battled  with  Peterkin  bravely  and  drove 
him  before  it  until  it  reached  the  sea.  Had  Peterkin 
used  his  club  he  could  easily  have  felled  it,  no  doubt ;  but, 
as  he  had  no  wish  to  do  so  cruel  an  act  merely  out  of 
sport,  he  let  the  bird  escape. 

We  spent  fully  three  hours  on  this  island  in  watching 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  1  GO 

the  habits  of  these  curious  birds,  and,  when  we  finally  left 
them,  we  all  three  concluded,  after  much  consultation,  that 
they  were  the  most  wonderful  creatures  we  had  ever 
seen  ;  and  further,  we  thought  it  probable  that  they  were 
the  most  wonderful  creatures  in  the  world  ! 


170  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


AN  AWFUL  STORM  AND  ITS  CONSEQUENCES— NARROW  ESCAPE  —  A 
ROCK  PROVES  A  SURE  FOUNDATION  — A  FEARFUL  NIGHT  AND  A 
BRIGHT  MORNING  — DELIVERANCE  FROM  DANGER. 


IT  was  evening  before  we  left  the  island  of  the  penguins. 
As  we  had  made  up  our  minds  to  encamp  for  the 
night  on  a  small  island,  whereon  grew  a  few  cocoa-nut 
trees,  which  was  about  two  miles  off,  we  lay  to  our  oars 
with  some  energy.  But  a  danger  was  in  store  for  us 
which  we  had  not  anticipated.  The  wind,  which  had 
carried  us  so  quickly  to  Penguin  Island,  freshened  as 
evening  drew  on,  to  a  stiff  breeze,  and,  before  we  had 
made  half  the  distance  to  the  small  island,  it  became  a 
regular  gale.  Although  it  was  not  so  directly  against  us 
as  to  prevent  our  rowing  in  the  course  we  wished  to  go,  yet 
it  checked  us  very  much  ;  and  although  the  force  of  the 
sea  was  somewhat  broken  by  the  island,  the  waves  soon 
began  to  rise,  and  to  roll  their  broken  crests  against  our 
small  craft,  so  that  she  began  to  take  in  water,  and  we 
had  much  ado  to  keep  ourselves  afloat.  At  last  the  wind 
and  sea  together  became  so  violent  that  we  found  it  im- 
possible to  make  the  island,  so  Jack  suddenly  put  the 
head  of  the  boat  round  and  ordered  Peterkin  and  me  to 
hoist  a  corner  of  the  sail,  intending  to  run  back  to  Pen- 
guin Island. 


THE  CORAL   ISLAND.  171 

"  We  shall  at  least  have  the  shelter  of  the  bushes,"  he 
said,  as  the  boat  flew  before  the  wind,  "  and  the  penguins 
will  keep  us  company." 

As  Jack  spoke,  the  wind  suddenly  shifted,  and  blew  so 
much  against  us  that  we  were  forced  to  hoist  more  of  the 
sail  in  order  to  beat  up  for  the  island,  being  by  this  change 
thrown  much  to  leeward  of  it.  What  made  matters  worse 
was,  that  the  gale  came  in  squalls,  so  that  we  were  more 
than  once  nearly  upset. 

"  Stand  by,  both  of  you,"  cried  Jack,  in  a  quick,  ear- 
nest tone ;  '^fc  ready  to  dowse  the  sail.  I  very  much 
fear  we  won't  make  the  island  after  all." 

Peterkin  and  I  were  so  much  in  the  habit  of  trusting 
everything  to  Jack  that  we  had  fallen  into  the  way  of  not 
considering  things,  especially  such  things  as  were  under 
Jack's  care.  We  had,  therefore,  never  doubted  for  a  mo- 
ment that  all  was  going  well,  so  that  it  was  with  no  little 
anxiety  that  we  heard  him  make  the  above  remark. 
However,  we  had  no  time  for  question  or  surmise,  for,  at 
the  moment  he  spoke  a  heavy  squall  was  bearing  down 
upon  us,  and,  as  we  were  then  flying  with  our  lee  gunwale 
dipping  occasionally  under  the  waves,  it  was  evident  that 
we  should  have  to  lower  our  sail  altogether.  In  a  few 
seconds  the  squall  struck  the  boat,  but  Peterkin  and  I 
had  the  sail  down  in  a  moment,  so  that  it  did  not  upset 
us  ;  but  when  it  was  past,  we  were  more  than  half  full 
of  water.  This  I  soon  baled  out,  while  Peterkin  again 
hoisted  a  corner  of  the  sail ;  but  the  evil  which  Jack  had 
feared  came  upon  us.  We  found  it  quite  impossible 
to  make  Penguin  Island.  The  gale  carried  us  quickly 
past  it  towards  the  open  sea,  and  the  terrible  truth  flashed 
upon  us  that  we  should  be   swept  out  and  left  to  perish 


172  THE  CORAL   ISLAND. 

miserably  in  a  small  boat  in  the  midst  of  the  wide 
ocean. 

This  idea  was  forced  very  strongly  upon  us  because 
we  saw  nothing  in  the  direction  whither  the  wind  was 
blowing  us  save  the  raging  billows  of  the  sea ;  and,  in- 
deed, we  trembled  as  we  gazed  around  us,  for  we  were 
now  beyond  the  shelter  of  the  islands,  and  it  seemed  as 
though  any  of  the  huge  billows,  which  curled  over  in 
masses  of  foam,  might  swallow  us  up  in  a  moment.  The 
water,  also,  began  to  wash  in  over  our  sides,  and  I  had 
to  keep  constantly  baling,  for  Jack  could#iot  quit  the 
helm  nor  Peterkin  the  sail  for  an  instant,  without  en- 
dangering our  lives.  In  the  midst  of  this  distress  Jack 
uttered  an  exclamation  of  hope,  and  pointed  towards  a 
low  island  or  rock  which  lay  directly  ahead.  It  had  been 
hitherto  unobserved,  owing  to  the  dark  clouds  that  ob- 
scured the  sky  and  the  blinding  spray  that  seemed  to  fill 
the  whole  atmosphere. 

As  we  neared  this  rock  we  observed  that  it  was  quite 
destitute  of  trees  and  verdure,  and  so  low  that  the  sea 
broke  completely  over  it.  In  fact  it  was  nothing  more 
than  the  summit  of  one  of  the  coral  formations,  which 
rose  only  a  few  feet  above  the  level  of  the  water,  and 
was,  in  stormy  weather,  all  but  invisible.  Over  this 
island  the  waves  were  breaking  in  the  utmost  fury,  and 
our  hearts  sank  within  us  as  we  saw  that  there  was  not 
a  spot  where  we  could  thrust  our  little  boat  without  its 
being  dashed  to  pieces. 

"  Show  a  little  bit  more  sail,"  cried  Jack,  as  we  swept 
past  the  weather  side  of  the  rock  with  fearful  speed. 

"  Ay,  ay,"  answered  Peterkin,  hoisting  about  a  foot 
more  of  our  sail. 

Little  though  the  addition  was  it  caused  the  boat  to  lie 


THE  STORM.         Page  173. 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  170 

over  and  creak  so  loudly,  as  we  cleft  the  foaming  waves, 
that  I  expected  to  be  upset  every  instant;  and  I  blamed 
Jack  in  my  heart  for  his  rashness.  But  I  did  him  in- 
justice, for,  although  during  two  seconds  the  water  rushed 
in-board  in  a  torrent,  he  succeeded  in  steering  us  sharply 
round  to  the  leeward  side  of  the  rock,  where  the  water 
was  comparatively  calm,  and  the  force  of  the  breeze 
broken. 

"Out  your  oars  now,  lads;  that's  well  done.  Give 
way  ;  "  We  obeyed  instantly.  The  oars  splashed  into 
the  waves  together.  One  good  hearty  pull,  and  we  were 
floating  in  a  comparatively  calm  creek  that  was  so  nar- 
row as  to  be  barely  able  to  admit  our  boat.  Here  we 
were  in  perfect  safety,  and,  as  we  leaped  on  shore  and 
ia-tmed  our  cable  to  the  rocks,  I  thanked  God  in  my  heart 
for  our  deliverance  from  so  great  danger.  But,  although 
I  have  said  we  were  now  in  safety,  I  suspect  that  few  of 
my  readers  would  have  envied  our  position.  It  is  true 
we  had  no  lack  of  food,  but  we  were  drenched  to  the 
skin  ;  the  sea  was  foaming  round  us  and  the  spray  flying 
over  our  heads,  so  that  we  were  completely  enveloped, 
as  it  were,  in  water ;  the  spot  on  which  we  had  landed 
was  not  more  than  twelve  yards  in  diameter,  and  from 
this  spot  we  could  not  move  without  the  risk  of  being 
swept  away  by  the  storm.  At  the  upper  end  of  the  creek 
was  a  small  hollow  or  cave  in  the  rock,  which  sheltered 
us  from  the  fury  of  the  winds  and  waves  ;  and  as  the 
rock  extended  in  a  sort  of  ledge  over  our  heads,  it  pre- 
vented the  spray  from  falling  upon  us. 

"  Why,"  said  Peterkin,  beginning  to  feel  cheery  again, 
"  it  seems  to  me  that  we  have  got  into  a  mermaid's  cave, 
for  there  is  nothing  but  water  all  round  us ;  and  as  for 
earth  or  sky,  they  are  things  of  the  past." 


174  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

Peterkin's  idea  was  not  inappropriate,  for,  what  with 
the  sea  roaring  in  white  foam  up  to  our  very  feet,  and 
the  spray  flying  in  white  sheets  continually  over  our 
heads,  and  the  water  dripping  heavily  from  the  ledge 
above  like  a  curtain  in  front  of  our  cave,  it  did  seem 
to  us  very  much  more  like  being  below  than  above 
water. 

"  Now,  boys,"  cried  Jack,  "  bestir  yourselves,  and  let's 
make  ourselves  comfortable.  Toss  out  our  provisions, 
Peterkin ;  and  here,  Ralph,  lend  a  hand  to  haul'  up  the 
boat.     Look  sharp." 

"  Ay,  ay,  captain,"  we  cried,  as  we  hastened  to  obey, 
much  cheered  by  the  hearty  manner  of  our  comrade. 

Fortunately  the  cave,  although  not  very  deep,  was 
quite  dry,  so  that  we  succeeded  in  making  ourselves 
much  more  comfortable  than  could  have  been  expected. 
We  landed  our  provisions,  wrung  the  water  out  of  our 
garments,  spread  our  sail  below  us  for  a  carpet,  and,  after 
having  eaten  a  hearty  meal,  began  to  feel  quite  cheerful. 
But  as  night  drew  on,  our  spirits  sank  again,  for  with 
the  daylight  all  evidence  of  our  security  vanished  away. 
We  could  no  longer  see  the  firm  rock  on  which  we  lay, 
while  we  were  stunned  with  the  violence  of  the  tempest 
that  raged  around  us.  The  night  grew  pitchy  dark,  as 
it  advanced,  so  that  we  could  not  see  our  hands,  when 
we  held  them  up  before  our  eyes,  and  were  obliged  to 
feel  each  other  occasionally  to  make  sure  that  we  were 
safe,  for  the  storm  at  last  became  so  terrible  that  it  was 
difficult  to  make  our  voices  audible.  A  slight  variation 
of  the  wind,  as  we  supposed,  caused  a  few  drops  of  spray 
ever  and  anon  to  blow  into  our  faces  ;  and  the  eddy  of 
the  sea,  in  its  mad  boiling,  washed  up  into  our  little 
creek  until  it  reached  our  feet  and  threatened  to  tear 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  175 

away  our  boat.  In  order  to  prevent  this  latter  calamity, 
we  hauled  the  boat  farther  up  and  held  the  cable  in  our 
hands.  Occasional  flashes  of  lightning  shone  with  a 
ghastly  glare  through  the  watery  curtains  around  us, 
and  lent  additional  horror  to  the  scene.  Yet  we  longed 
for  those  dismal  flashes,  for  they  were  less  appalling  than 
the  thick  blackness  that  succeeded  them.  Crashing  peals 
of  thunder  seemed  to  tear  the  skies  in  twain,  and  fell 
upon  our  ears  through  the  wild  yelling  of  the  hurricane 
as  if  it  had  been  but  a  gentle  summer  breeze  ;  while  the 
billows  burst  upon  the  weather  side  of  the  island  until 
we  fancied  that  the  solid  rock  was  giving  way,  and,  in 
our  agony,  we  clung  to  the  bare  ground,  expecting  every 
moment  to  be  whirled  away  and  whelmed  in  tlifj  black 
howling  sea !  Oh !  it  was  a  night  of  terrible  anxiety, 
and  no  one  can  conceive  the  feelings  of  intense  grati- 
tude and  relief  with  which  we  at  last  saw  the  dawn  of 
day  break  through  the  vapory  mists  around  us. 

For  three  days  and  three  nights  we  remained  on  this 
rock,  while  the  storm  continued  to  rage  with  unabated 
fury.  On  the  morning  of  the  fourth  day  it  suddenly 
ceased,  and  the  wind  fell  altogether  ;  but  the  waves  still 
ran  so  high  that  we  did  not  dare  to  put  off  in  our  boat. 
During  the  greater  part  of  this  period  we  scarcely  slept 
above  a  few  minutes  at  a  time,  but  on  the  third  nighfwe 
slept  soundly  and  awoke  early  on  the  fourth  morning 
to  find  the  sea  very  much  down,  and  the  sun  shining 
brightly  again  in  the  clear  blue  sky. 

It  was  with  light  hearts  that  we  launched  forth  once 
more  in  our  little  boat  and  steered  away  for  our  island 
home,  which,  we  were  overjoyed  to  find,  was  quite  visible 
on  the  horizon,  for  we  had  feared  that  we  had  been 
blown  out  of  sight  of  it  altogether.     As  it  was  a  dead 


176  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

calm  we  had  to  row  during  the  greater  part  of  the  day ; 
but  towards  the  afternoon  a  fair  breeze  sprang  up,  which 
enabled  us  to  hoist  our  sail.  We  soon  passed  Penguin 
Island,  and  the  other  island  which  we  had  failed  to  reach 
on  the  day  the  storm  commenced ;  but  as  we  had  still 
enough  of  provisions,  and  were  anxious  to  get  home,  we 
did  not  land,  to  the  great  disappointment  of  Peterkin, 
who  seemed  to  entertain  quite  an  affection  for  the  pen- 
guins. 

Although  the  breeze  was  pretty  fresh  for  several  hours, 
we  did  not  reach  the  outer  reef  of  our  island  till  night- 
fall, and  before  we  had  sailed  more  than  a  hundred  yards 
into  the  lagoon,  the  wind  died  away  altogether,  so  that  we 
had  to  take  to  our  oars  again.  It  was  late  and  the  moon 
and  stars  were  shining  brightly  when  we  arrived  opposite 
the  bower  and  leaped  upon  the  strand.  So  glad  were 
we  to  be  safe  back  again  on  our  beloved  island,  that  we 
scarcely  took  time  to  drag  the  boat  a  short  way  up  the 
beach,  and  then  ran  up  to  see  that  all  was  right  at  the 
bower.  I  must  confess,  however,  that  my  joy  was  mingled 
with  a  vague  sort  of  fear  lest  our  home  had  been  visited 
and  destroyed  during  our  absence  ;  but  on  reaching  it  we 
found  everything  just  as  it  had  been  left,  and  the  poor 
black  cat  curled  up,  sound  asleep,  on  the  coral  table  in 
front  of  our  humble  dwelling. 


THE  (ORAL  ISLAND.  177 


CHAPTER    XTX. 

SIIOKMAKTXU  —  THE  EVEN  TENOR  OF  OUR  WAY  SUDDENLY  INTER- 
IM PIED— AH  UNEXPECTED  VISIT  AND  AN  APPALLING  BATTLE— 
WE  ALL  BECOME  WARRIORS,  AND  JACK  PROVES  HIMSELF  TO  BE 
A  HERO. 

FOR  many  months  after  this  we  continued  to  live  on 
our  island  in  uninterrupted  harmony  and  happiness. 
Sometimes  we  went  out  a-fishing  in  the  lagoon,  and  ?ome- 
times  went  a-hunting  in  the  woods,  or  ascended  to  the 
mountain  top,  by  way  of  variety,  although  Peterkin  al- 
ways asserted  that  we  went  for  the  purpose  of  hailing 
any  ship  that  might  ehance  to  heave  in  sight.  But  I  am 
certain  that  none  of  us  wished  to  be  delivered  from  our 
captivity,  lor  we  were  extremely  happy,  and  Peterkin 
used  to  say  that  as  we  were  very  young  we  should  not 
feel  the  los3  of  a  year  or  two.  Peterkin,  as  I  have  said 
before,  was  thirteen  years  of  age,  Jaek  eighteen,  and  I 
fifteen.  But  Jack  was  very  tall,  strong,  and  manly  for 
bis  age,  and  might  easily  have  been  mistaken  for  twenty. 
The  climate  was  so  beautiful  that  it  seemed  to  be  a 
perpetual  summer,  and  as  many  of  the  fruit-trees  con- 
tinued to  bear  fruit  and  blossom  all  the  year  round,  we 
never  wanted  for  a  plentiful  supply  of  food.  The  hogs, 
too,  seemed  rather  to  increase  than  diminish,  although 
Peterkin  was  \^ry  frequent  in  his  attacks  on  them  with 
his  spear.  If  at  any  time  we  failed  in  finding  a  drove, 
we  had  only  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  plum-tree  before  men- 
12 


178  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

tioned,  where  we  always  found  a  large  family  of  them 
asleep  under  its  branches. 

We  employed  ourselves  very  busily  during  this  time 
in  making  various  garments  of  cocoa-nut  cloth,  as  those 
with  which  we  had  landed  were  beginning  to  be  very 
ragged.  Peterkin  also  succeeded  in  making  excellent 
shoes  out  of  the  skin  of  the  old  hog,  in  the  following 
manner :  He  first  cut  a  piece  of  the  hide,  of  an  oblong 
form,  a  few  inches  longer  than  his  foot.  This  he  soaked 
in  water,  and,  while  it  was  wet,  he  sewed  up  one  end  of 
it,  so  as  to  form  a  rough  imitation  of  that  part  of  the  heel 
of  a  shoe  where  the  seam  is.  This  done,  he  bored  a  row 
of  holes  all  round  the  edge  of  the  piece  of  skin,  through 
which  a  tough  line  was  passed.  Into  the  sewed-up  part 
of  this  shoe  he  thrust  his  heel,  then  drawing  the  string 
tight,  the  edges  rose  up  and  overlapped  his  foot  all  round. 
It  is  true,  there  were  a  great  many  ill-looking  puckers  in 
these  shoes,  but  we  found  them  very  serviceable  notwith- 
standing, and  Jack  came  at  last  to  prefer  them  to  his  long 
boots.  We  also  made  various  other  useful  articles,  which 
added  to  our  comfort,  and  once  or  twice  spoke  of  build- 
ing us  a  house,  but  Ave  had  so  great  an  affection  for  the 
bower,  and,  withal,  found  it  so  serviceable,  that  we  de- 
termined not  to  leave  it,  nor  to  attempt  the  building  of  a 
house,  wThich,  in  such  a  climate,  might  turn  out  to  be 
rather  disagreeable  than  useful. 

We  often  examined  the  pistol  that  we  had  found  in  the 
house  on  the  other  side  of  the  island,  and  Peterkin 
wished  much  that  we  had  powder  and  shot,  as  it  would 
render  pig-killing  much  easier ;  but,  after  all,  we  had  be- 
come so  expert  in  the  use  of  our  sling,  and  bow,  and 
spear,  that  we  were  independent  of  more  deadly  wea- 
pons. 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  179 

Divinjr  in  the  Water  Garden  also  continued  to  afford 
us  as  much  pleasure  as  ever;  and  Peterkin  began  to  be 
a  little  more  expert  in  the  water  from  constant  practice. 
As  for  Jack  and  I,  we  began  to  feel  as  if  water  were  our 
native  element,  and  revelled  in  it  with  so  much  confi- 
dence and  comfort  that  Peterkin  said  he  feared  we  would 
turn  into  fish  some  day,  and  swim  off  and  leave  hi  in  ; 
adding,  that  he  had  been  for  a  long  time  observing  that 
Jack  was  becoming  more  and  more  like  a  shark  every 
<lav.  Whereupon  Jack  remarked  that  it'  he,  Peterkin, 
were  changed  into  a  fish,  he  would  certainly  turn  into 
nothing  better  or  bigger  than  a  shrimp.  Poor  Peterkin 
did  not  envy  us  our  delightful  excursions  under  water, 
except,  indeed,  when  Jack  would  dive  down  to  the  bot- 
tom of  the  Water  Garden,  sit  down  on  a  rock,  and  look 
up  and  make  faces  at  him.  Peterkin  did  feel  envious 
then,  and  often  said  he  would  give  anything  to  be  able 
to  do  that.  I  was  much  amused  when  Peterkin  said 
this ;  for  if  he  could  only  have  seen  his  own  face  when 
he  happened  to  take  a  short  dive,  he  would  have  seen 
that  Jack's  was  far  surpassed  by  it.  The  great  differ- 
ence being,  however,  that  Jack  made  faces  on  purpose 
—  Peterkin  couldn't  help  it !     , 

Now,  while  we  were  engaged  with  these  occupations 
and  amusements,  an  event  occurred  one  day  which  was 
as  unexpected  as  it  was  exceedingly  alarming  and  very 
horrible. 

Jack  and  I  were  sitting,  as  we  were  often  wont  to  do, 
on  the  rocks  at  Spouting  Cliff,  and  Peterkin  was  wring- 
ing the  water  from  his  garments,  having  recently  fallen 
by  accident  into  the  sea,  —  a  thing  he  was  constantly  do- 
ing,—  when  our  attention  was  suddenly  arrested  by  two 
objects  which  appeared  on  the  horizon. 


180  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

"  "What  are  yon,  think  you  ?  "  I  said,  addressing  Jack. 

"  I  can't  imagine,"  answered  he  ;  "  I've  noticed  them 
for  some  time,  and  fancied  they  were  black  sea-gnlls,  but 
the  more  I  look  at  them  the  more  I  feel  convinced  they 
are  much  larger  than  gulls." 

"  They  seem  to  be  coming  towards  us,"  said  I. 

"  Hallo  !  what's  wrong  ?  "  inquired  Peterkin,  coming 
up. 

"  Look  there,"  said  Jack. 

"  Whales  !  "  cried  Peterkin,  shading  his  eyes  with  his 
hand.     "  No  !  eh  !  can  they  be  boats,  Jack  ?  " 

Our  hearts  beat  with  excitement  at  the  very  thought 
of  seeing  human  faces  again. 

"  I  think  you  are  about  right,  Peterkin  ;  —  but  they 
seem  to  me  to  move  strangely  for  boats,"  said  Jack,  in  a 
low  tone,  as  if  he  were  talking  to  himself. 

I  noticed  that  a  shade  of  anxiety  crossed  Jack's  coun- 
tenance as  he  gazed  long  and  intently  at  the  two  objects, 
which  were  now  nearing  us  fast.  At  last  he  sprang  to 
his  feet.  "  They  are  canoes,  Ralph  ;  whether  war-canoes 
or  not  I  cannot  tell ;  but  this  I  know,  that  all  the  natives 
of  the  South  Sea  Islands  are  fierce  cannibals,  and  they 
have  little  respect  for  strangers.  We  must  hide  if  they 
land  here,  which  I  earnestly  hope  they  wrill  not  do." 

I  was  greatly  alarmed  at  Jack's  speech,  but  I  confess  I. 
thought  less  of  what  he  said  than  of  the  earnest,  anxious 
manner  in  which  he  said  it,  and  it  wTas  with  very  uncom- 
fortable feelings  that  Peterkin  and  I  followed  him  quickly 
into  the  woods. 

"  How  unfortunate,"  said  I,  as  we  gained  the  shelter 
of  the  bushes,  "that  we  have  forgotten  our  arms." 

"  It  matters  not,"  said  Jack  ;  "  here  are  clubs  enough 
and  to  spare."  As   he  spoke,  he  laid  his  hand  on  a  bun- 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  181 

die  of  stout  poles  of  various  sizes,  which  Peterkin's  ever- 
busy  hands  had  formed,  during  our  frequent  visits  to  the 
cliff,  for  no  other  purpose,  apparently,  than  that  of  hav- 
ing something  to  do. 

We  each  selected  a  stout  club  according  to  our  several 
tastes,  and  lay  down  behind  a  rock,  whence  we  could  see 
the  canoes  approach,  without  ourselves  being  seen.  At 
first  we  made  an  occasional  remark  on  their  appearance, 
hut  after  they  entered  the  lagoon,  and  drew  near  the 
beach,  we  ceased  to  speak,  and  gazed  with  intense  interest 
at  the  scene  before  us. 

We  now  observed  that  the  foremost  canoe  was  being 
chased  by  the  other,  and  that  it  contained  a  few  women 
and  children,  as  well  as  men,  —  perhaps  forty  souls  alto- 
gether; while  the  canoe  which  pursued  it  contained 
only  men.  They  seemed  to  be  about  the  same  in  num- 
ber, but  were  better  armed,  and  had  the  appearance 
of  being  a  war  party.  Both  crews  were  paddling  with 
all  their  might,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  pursuers  exerted 
themselves  to  overtake  the  fugitives  ere  they  could  land. 
In  this,  however,  they  failed.  The  foremost  canoe  made 
for  the  beach  close  beneath  the  rocks  behind  which  we 
were  concealed.  Their  short  paddles  flashed  like  meteors 
in  the  water,  and  sent  up  a  constant  shower  of  spray. 
The  foam  curled  from  the  prow,  and  the  eyes  of  the 
rowers  glistened  in  their  black  faces  as  they  strained 
every  muscle  of  their  naked  bodies;  nor  did  they  relax 
their  efforts  till  the  canoe  struck  the  beach  with  a  violent 
shock ;  then,  with  a  shout  of  defiance,  the  whole  party 
sprang,  as  if  by  magic,  from  the  canoe  to  the  shore. 
Three  women,  two  of  whom  carried  infants  in  their  arms, 
rushed  into  the  woods  :  and  the  men  crowded  to  the 
water's  edge,  with  stones  in  their  hands,  spears  levelled. 


182  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

and  clubs  brandished,  to  resist  the  landing  of  their  en- 
emies. 

The  distance  between  the  two  canoes  had  been  about 
half  a  mile,  and,  at  the  great  speed  they  were  going,  this 
was  soon  passed.  As  the  pursuers  neared  the  shore,  no 
sign  of  fear  or  hesitation  was  noticeable.  On  they  came 
like  a  wild  charger,  —  received  but  recked  not  of  a  shower 
of  stones.  The  canoe  struck,  and,  with  a  yell  that  seemed 
to  issue  from  the  throats  of  incarnate  fiends,  they 
leaped  into  the  water,  and  drove  their  enemies  up  the 
beach. 

The  battle  that  immediately  ensued  was  frightful  to 
behold  Most  of  the  men  wielded  clubs  of  enormous 
size  and  curious  shapes,  with  which  they  dashed  out  each 
other's  brains.  As  they  were  almost  entirely  naked,  and 
had  to  bound,  stoop,  leap,  and  run,  in  their  terrible  hand- 
to-hand  encounters,  they  looked  more  like  demons  than 
human  beings.  I  felt  my  heart  grow  sick  at  the  sight  of 
this  bloody  battle,  and  would  fain  have  turned  away,  but 
a  species  of  fascination  seemed  to  hold  me  down  and  glue 
my  eyes  upon  the  combatants.  I  observed  that  the  at- 
tacking party  was  led  by  a  most  extraordinary  being,  who, 
from  his  size  and  peculiarity,  I  concluded  was  a  chief. 
His  hair  was  frizzed  out  to  an  enormous  extent,  so  that 
it  resembled  a  large  turban.  It  was  of  a  light-yellow 
hue,  which  surprised  me  much,  for  the  man's  body  was  as 
'black  as  coal,  and  I  felt  convinced  that  the  hair  must  have 
been  dyed.  He  was  tattooed  from  head  to  foot ;  and  his 
face,  besides  being  tattooed,  was  besmeared  with  red 
paint,  and  streaked  with  white.  Altogether,  with  his  yel- 
low turban-like  hair,  his  Herculean  black  frame,  his  glit- 
tering eyes  and  white  teeth,  he  seemed  the  most  terrible 
monster  I  ever  beheld.  He  was  very  active  in  the  fight, 
and  had  already  killed  four  men. 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  183 

Suddenly  the  yellow-haired  chief  was  attacked  by  a 
man  quite  as  strong  and  large  as  himself.     He  flourished 

a  heavy  club  something  like  an  eagle's  beak  at  the  point. 
For  a  second  or  two  these  giants  eyed  eacli  other  warily, 
moving  round  and  round,  as  if  to  catch  each  other  at  a 
disadvantage,  but  seeing  that  nothing  was  to  be  gained  by 
this  caution,  and  that  the  loss  of  time  might  effectually 
turn  the  tide  of  battle  either  way,  they  apparently  made 
up  their  minds  to  attack  at  the  same  instant,  for,  with  a 
wild  shout  and  simultaneous  spring,  they  swung  their 
heavy  clubs,  which  met  with  a  loud  report.  Suddenly 
the  yellow-haired  savage  tripped,  his  enemy  sprang  for- 
ward, the  ponderous  club  was  swung,  but  it  did  not  de- 
scend, for  at  that  moment  the  savage  was  felled  to  the 
ground  by  a  stone  from  the  hand  of  one  who  had  wit- 
nessed his  chief's  danger.  This  was  the  turning-point 
in  the  battle.  The  savages  who  landed  first  turned  and 
lied  towards  the  bush,  on  seeing  the.  fall  of  their  chief. 
But  not  one  escaped.  They  were  all  overtaken  and 
felled  to  the  earth.  I  saw,  however,  that  they  were  not 
all  killed.  Indeed,  their  enemies,  now  that  they  were 
conquered,  seemed  anxious  to  take  them  alive ;  and  they 
succeeded  in  securing  fifteen,  whom  they  bound  hand 
and  foot  with  cords,  and,  carrying  them  up  into  the 
woods,  laid  them  down  among  the  bushes.  Here  they  left 
them,  for  what  purpose  I  knew  not,  and  returned  to  the 
scene  of  the  late  battle,  where  the  remnant  of  the  party 
were  bathing  their  wounds. 

Out  of  the  forty  blacks  that  composed  the  attacking 
party,  only  twenty-eight  remained  alive,  two  of  whom 
were  sent  into  the  bush  to  hunt  for  the  women  and  chil- 
dren. Of  the  other  party,  as  I  have  said,  only  fifteen 
survived,  and  these  were*  lying  bound  and  helpless  on  the 
grass. 


184  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

Jack  and  Peterkin  and  I  now  looked  at  each  other,  and 
whispered  our  fears  that  the  savages  might  clamber  up 
the  rocks  to  search  for  fresh  water,  and  so  discover  our 
place  of  concealment ;  but  we  were  so  much  interested 
in  watching  their  movements  that  we  agreed  to  remain 
where  we   were ;  and,  indeed,  we  could  not  easily  have 
risen  without  exposing  ourselves  to   detection.     One  of 
the  savages  now  went  up  to  the  wood  and  soon  returned 
with  a  bundle  of  firewood,  and  we  were  not  a  little   sur- 
prised to  see  him  set  fire  to  it  by  the  very  same  means 
used  by  Jack  the  time  we  made  our  first  fire  —  namely, 
with  the  bow  and  drill.     When  the  fire  was  kindled,  two 
of  the  party  went  again  to  the  woods  and  returned  with 
one  of  the  bound  men.      A  dreadful  feeling  of  horror 
crept  over  my  heart,  as  the  thought  flashed  upon  me  that 
they  were  going  to  burn  their   enemies.     As  they  bore 
him  to  the  fire  my  feelings  almost   overpowered   me.     I 
gasped  for  breath,  and  seizing  my  club,  endeavored  to 
spring  to  my  feet ;  but  Jack's  powerful  arm  pinned  me  to 
the  earth.     Next  moment  one  of  the  savages  raised  his 
club,  and  fractured   the  wretched  creature's  skull.     He 
must    have  died  instantly,  and,  strange   though  it  may 
seem,  I  confess  to  a  feeling  of  relief  when  the  deed  was 
done,  because  I  now  knew  that  the  poor  savage  could  not 
be  burned  alive.     Scarcely  had  his  limbs  ceased  to  quiver 
when    the    monsters    cut    slices  of  fiesh  from    his  body, 
and,  after  roasting  them  slightly  over  the  fire,  devoured 
them. 

Suddenly  there  arose  a  cry  from  the  woods,  and,  in  a 
few  seconds,  the  two  savages  hastened  towards  the  fire 
dragging  the  three  women  and  their  two  infants  alono- 
with  them.  One  of  those  women  was  much  younger  than 
her  companions,  and  we  were  struck  with  the  modesty  of 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  185 

ber  demeanor  and  the  gentle  expression  of  her  face, 
which,  although  she  bad  the  flatfish  nose  and  thick  tips  of 
the  others,  was  of  a  light-brown  color,  and  we  conjectured 

that  she  must  be  of  a  different  race.  She  and  her  com- 
panions wore  short  petticoats  and  a  kind  of  tippet  on  their 
shoulders.  Their  hair  was  jet  black,  but  instead  of  being 
long,  was  short  and  curly,  —  though  not  woolly  —  some- 
what like  the  hair  of  a  young  boy.  While  we  gazed  with 
interest  and  some  anxiety  at  these  poor  creatures,  the  big 
chief  advanced  to  one  of  the  elder  females  and  laid  his 
hand  upon  the  child.  But  the  mother  shrank  from  him, 
and  clasping  the  little  one  to  her  bosom,  uttered  a  wail  of 
fear.  With  a  savage  laugh,  the  chief  tore  the  child  from 
her  arms  and  tossed  it  into  the  sea.  A  low  groan  boret 
from  Jack's  lips  as  we  witnessed  this  atrocious  act  and 
heard  the  mother's  shriek,  as  she  fell  insensible  on  the 
sand.  The  rippling  waves  rolled  the  child  on  the 
beach,  as  if  they  refused  to  be  a  party  in  such  a  foul 
murder,  and  we  could  observe  that  the  little  one  still 
live  1. 

The  young  girl  was  now  brought  forward,  and  the 
chief  addressed  her  ;  but  although  we  heard  his  voice, 
and  even  the  words  distinctly,  of  course  we  could  not 
understand  what  he  said.  The  girl  made  no  answer  to 
his  fierce  questions,  and  we  saw  by  the  way  in  which  he 
pointed  to  the  fire  that  he  threatened  her  life. 

u  Peterkin,"  said  Jack  in  a  hoarse  whisper,  "have  you 
got  your  knife  ?" 

"  Yes,"  replied  Peterkin,  whose  face  was  pale  as  death. 

"  That  will  do.  Listen  to  me,  and  do  my  bidding 
quick.  Here  is  the  small  knife,  Ralph.  Fly  both  of 
you  through  the  bush,  cut  the  cords  that  bind  the  prison- 
ers and  set  them  free.     There  !  quick,  ere  it  be  too  late. 


186  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

Jack  sprang  up,  and  seized  a  heavy  but  short  bludgeon, 
while  his  strong  frame  trembled  with  emotion,  and  large 
drops  rolled  down  his  forehead. 

At  this  moment  the  man  who  had  butchered  the  sav- 
age a  few  minutes  before  advanced  towards  the  girl  with 
his  heavy  club.  Jack  uttered  a  yell  that  rang  like  a 
death-shriek  among  the  rocks.  With  one  bound  he 
leaped  over  a  precipice  full  fifteen  feet  high,  and,  before 
the  savages  had  recovered  from  their  surprise,  was  in  the 
midst  of  them  ;  while  Peterkin  and  I  dashed  through  the 
bushes  towards  the  prisoners.  With  one  blow  of  his  staff 
Jack  felled  the  man  with  the  club,  then,  turning  round 
with  a  look  of  fury,  he  rushed  upon  the  big  chief  with 
the  yellow  hair.  Had  the  blow  which  Jack  aimed  at  his 
head  taken  effect,  the  huge  savage  would  have  needed  no 
second  stroke  ;  but  he  was  agile  as  a  cat,  and  avoided  it  by 
springing  to  one  side,  while  at  the  same  time,  he  swung  his 
ponderous  club  at  the  head  of  his  foe.  It  was  now  Jack's 
turn  to  leap  aside,  and  well  was  it  for  him  that  the  first 
outburst  of  his  blind  fury  wras  over,  else  he  had  become 
an  easy  prey  to  his  gigantic  antagonist ;  but  Jack  was 
cool  now.  He  darted  his  blows  rapidly  and  well,  and 
the  superiority  of  his  light  weapon  was  strikingly  proved 
in  this  combat,  for  while  he  could  easily  evade  the  blows 
of  the  chiefs  heavy  club,  the  chief  could  not  so  easily 
evade  those  of  his  light  one.  Nevertheless,  so  quick 
was  he,  and  so  frightfully  did  he  fling  about  the  mighty 
weapon,  that  although  Jack  struck  him  almost  every 
blow,  the  strokes  had  to  be  delivered  so  quickly  that  they 
wanted  force  to  be  very  effectual. 

It  was  lucky  for  Jack  that  the  other  savages  consid- 
ered the  success  of  their  chief  in  this  encounter  to  be  so 
certain  that  they  refrained  from  interfering.     Had  they 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  187 

doubted  it,  they  would  have  probably  ended  the  matter 
at  once  by  Idling  him.  But  they  contented  themselves 
with  awaiting  the  issue. 

The  force  which  the  chief  expended  in  wielding  his 
club  now  began  to  be  apparent.  His  movements  became 
slower,  his  breath  hissed  through  his  clenched  teeth,  and 
the  surprised  savages  drew  nearer  in  order  to  render 
assistance.  Jack  observed  this  movement.  He  felt  that 
his  fate  was  sealed,  and  resolved  to  cast  his  life  upon  the 
next  blow.  The  chief's  club  was  again  about  to  descend 
on  his  head.  He  might  have  evaded  it  easily,  but  instead 
of  doing  so,  he  suddenly  shortened  his  grasp  of  his  own 
club,  rushed  in  under  the  blow,  struck  his  adversary  right 
between  the  eye-  with  all  his  force  and  fell  io  the  earth, 
crushed  beneath  the  senseless  body  of  the  chief.  A  dozen 
clubs  flew  high  in  the  air  ready  to  descend  on  the  head 
of  Jack,  but  they  hesitated  a  moment,  for  the  massive 
body  of  the  chief  completely  covered  him.  That  mo- 
ment saved  his  life.  Ere  the  savages  could  tear  the 
chiefs  body  away,  seven  of  their  number  fell  prostrate 
beneath  the  clubs  of  the  prisoners  whom  Peterkin  and  I 
had  set  free,  and  two  others  fell  under  our  own  hand. 
We  could  never  have  accomplished  this  had  not  our  ene- 
emies  been  so  engrossed  with  the  fight  between  Jack  and 
their  chief  that  they  had  failed  to  observe  us  until  we 
were  upon  them.  They  still  outnumbered  our  party  by 
three,  but  we  wire  flushed  with  victory  while  they  were 
taken  by  surprise  and  dispirited  by  the  fall  of  their  chief. 
Moreover,  they  were  awe-struck  by  the  sweeping  fury 
of  Jack,  who  seemed  to  have  lost  his  senses  altogether, 
and  had  no  sooner  shaken  himself  free  of  the  chiefs 
body  than  he  rushed  into  the  midst  of  them,  and  in  three 


188  THE  CORAL  ISLAND, 

blows  equalized  our  numbers.  Peterkin  and  I  flew  to 
the  rescue,  the  savages  followed  us,  and,  in  less  than  ten 
minutes,  the  whole  of  our  opponents  were  knocked  down 
or  made  prisoners,  bound  hand  and  foot,  and  extended 
side  by  side  upon  the  sea-shore. 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  180 


CHAPTER  XX. 

INTERCOURSE  WITH  THE  SAVAGES  — CANNIBALISM  PREVENTED  — 
THE  SLAIN  ARE  BURIED  AND  THE  SURVIVORS  DEPART.  LEAVING 
US  AGAIN  ALONE  ON  OUR  CORAL  ISLAND. 

AFTER  the  battle  was  over,  the  savages  crowded 
round  us  and  gazed  at  us  in  surprise,  while  they 
continued  to  pour  upon  us  a  flood  of  questions,  which, 
being  wholly  unintelligible,  of  course  we  could  not  answer. 
However,  by  way  of  putting  an  end  to  it,  Jack  took  the 
chief  (who  had  recovered  from  the  effects  of  his  wound; 
by  the  hand  and  shook  it  warmly.  No  sooner  did  the 
blacks  see  that  this  was  meant  to  express  good-will  than 
they  shook  hands  with  us  all  round.  After  this  cere- 
mony was  gone  through  Jack  went  up  to  the  girl,  who 
had  never  once  moved  from  the  rock  where  she  had  been 
left,  but  had  continued  an  eager  spectator  of  all  that  had 
passed.  He  made  signs  to  her  to  follow  him,  and  then, 
taking  the  chief  by  the  hand,  was  about  to  conduct  him 
to  the  bower  when  his  eye  fell  on  the  poor  infant  which 
had  been  thrown  into  the  sea  and  was  still  lying  on  the 
shore.  Dropping  the  chiefs  hand  he  hastened  towards 
it,  and  to  his  great  joy,  found  it  to  be  still  alive.  TVe 
also  found  that  the  mother  was  beginning  to  recover 
-lowly. 

"  Here,  get  out  o'  the  way,"  said  Jack,  pushing  us 
aside,  as  we  stooped  over  the  poor  woman  and  endeav- 
ored to  restore  her,  "  I'll  soon  bring  her  round."    So  say- 


190  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

ing,  he  placed  the  infant  on  her  bosom  and  laid  its  warm 
cheek  on  hers.  The  effect  was  wonderful.  The  woman 
opened  her  eyes,  felt  the  child,  looked  at  it,  and  with  a 
cry  of  joy  clasped  it  in  her  arms,  at  the  same  time 
endeavoring  to  rise,  for  the  purpose,  apparently,  of  rush- 
ing into  the  woods. 

"  There,  that's  all  right,"  said  Jack,  once  more  taking 
the  chief  by  the  hand.  "Now  Ralph  and  Peterkin,  make 
the  women  and  these  fellows  follow  me  to  the  bower. 
We'll  entertain  them  as  hospitably  as  we  can." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  savages  were  all  seated  on  the 
ground  in  front  of  the  bower  making  a  hearty  meal  off  a 
cold  roast  pig,  several  ducks,  and  a  variety  of  cold  fish, 
together  with  an  unlimited  supply  of  cocoa-nuts,  bread- 
fruits, yams,  taro,  and  plums ;  with  all  of  which  they 
seemed  to  be  quite  familiar  and  perfectly  satisfied. 

Meanwhile,  we  three  being  thoroughly  knocked  up 
with  our  day's  work,  took  a  good  draught  of  cocoa-nut 
lemonade,  and  throwing  ourselves  on  our  beds  fell  fast 
asleep.  The  savages  it  seems  followed  our  example,  and 
in  half  an  hour  the  whole  camp  was  buried  in  repose. 

How  long  we  slept  I  cannot  tell,  but  this  I  know,  that 
when  we  lay  down  the  sun  was  setting,  and  when  we 
awoke  it  was  high  in  the  heavens.  I  awoke  Jack,  who 
started  up  in  surprise,  being  unable  at  first  to  compre- 
hend our  situation.  "Now,  then,"  said  he,  springing  up, 
"  let's  see  after  breakfast.  Hallo  !  Peterkin,  lazy  fellow, 
how  long  do  you  mean  to  lie  there  ?  " 

Peterkin  yawned  heavily.  "  Well !  "  said  he,  opening 
his  eyes  and  looking  up  after  some  trouble,  "  if  it  isn't 
to-morrow  morning,  and  me  thinking  it  was  to-day  all 
this  time.  Hallo !  Venus,  where  did  you  come  from  ? 
you  seem  tolerably  at  home,  any  how.     Bah !  might  as 


THE  COEAI  ISLAND.  101 

well   speak  to  the  cat  as  to  you  —  better,  in  fact,  for  it 
understands  me,  and  you  don't." 

This  remark  was  called  forth  by  the  sight  of  one  of 
the  elderly  females,  who  had  seated  herself  on  the  rock 
in  front  of  the  bower,  and  having  placed  her  child  at 
her  feet,  was  busily  engaged  in  devouring  the  remains  of 
a  roast  pig. 

By  this  time  the  natives  outside  were  all  astir,  and 
breakfast  in  an  advanced  state  of  preparation.  During 
the  course  of  it  we  made  sundry  attempts  to  converse 
with  the  natives  by  signs,  but  without  effect.  At  last  we 
hit  upon  a  plan  of  discovering  their  names.  Jack  point- 
ed to  his  breast  and  said  "  Jack,"  very  distinctly ;  then 
he  pointed  to  Peterkin  and  to  me,  repeating  our  names 
at  the  same  time.  Then  he  pointed  to  himself  again, 
and  said  "  Jack,"  and  laying  his  finger  on  the  breast  of 
the  chief,  looked  inquiringly  into  his  face.  The  chief  in- 
stantly understood  him,  and  said  "  Tararo,"  twice,  dis- 
tinctly. Jack  repeated  it  after  him,  and  the  chief,  nod- 
ding his  head  approvingly,  said  "  Chuck."  On  hearing 
which.  Peterkin  exploded  with  laughter;  but  Jack  turned 
and  with  a  frown  rebuked  him,  saying,  "I  must  look  even 
more  indignantly  at  you  than  I  feel,  Peterkin,  you  rascal, 
for  these  fellows  don't  like  to  be  laughed  at."  Then 
turning  towards  the  youngest  of  the  women,  who  was 
seated  at  the  door  of  the  bower,  he  pointed  to  her; 
whereupon  the  chief  said,  "  Avatea,"  and  pointing 
towards  the  sun,  raised  his  finger  slowly  towards  the 
zenith,  where  it  remained  steadily  for  a  minute  or  two. 

"  What  can  that  mean,  I  wonder,"  said  Jack,  looking 
puzzled. 

"Perhaps,"  said  Peterkin,  "the  chief  means  she  is  an 
angel  come  down  to  stay  here  for  a  while.  If  so,  she's 
an  uncommonly  black  one  !  " 


192  THE  CORAL  ISLAND.      . 

We  did  not  feel  quite  satisfied  with  this  explanation, 
so  Jack  went  up  to  her  and  said,  "  Avatea."  The  woman 
smiled  sadly,  and  nodded  her  head,  at  the*  same  time 
pointing  to  her  breast  and  then  to  the  sun,  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  chief  had  done.  We  were  much  puzzled 
to  know  what  this  could  signify,  but  as  there  was  no  way 
of  solving  our  difficulty  we  were  obliged  to  rest  content. 

Jack  now  made  signs  to  the  natives  to  follow  him,  and, 
taking  up  his  axe,  he  led  them  to  the  place  where  the 
battle  had  been  fought.  Here  we  found  the  prisoners, 
who  had  passed  the  night  on  the  beach,  having  been  to- 
tally forgotten  by  us,  as  our  minds  had  been  full  of  our 
guests,  and  were  ultimately  overcome  by  sleep.  They 
did  not  seem  the  worse  for  their  exposure,  however,  as 
we  judged  by  the  hearty  appetite  with  which  they  de- 
voured the  breakfast  that  was  soon  after  given  to  them. 
Jack  then  began  to  dig  a  hole  in  the  sand,  and  after 
working  a  few  seconds,  he  pointed  to  it  and  to  the  dead 
bodies  that  lay  exposed  on  the  beach.  The  natives  im- 
mediately perceived  what  he  wanted,  and,  running  for 
their  paddles,  dug  a  hole  in  the  course  of  half  an  hour 
that  was  quite  large  enough  to  contain  all  the  bodies  of 
the  slain.  When  it  was  finished  they  tossed  their  dead 
enemies  into  it  with  so  much  indifference  that  we  felt  as- 
sured they  would  not  have  put  themselves  to  this  trouble 
had  we  not  asked  them  to  do  so.  The  body  of  the  yel- 
low haired  chief  was  the  last  thrown  in.  This  wretched 
man  would  have  recovered  from  the  blow  with  which 
Jack  felled  him,  and,  indeed,  he  did  endeavor  to  rise  dur- 
ing the  melee  that  followed  his  fall,  but  one  of  his  ene- 
mies, happening  to  notice  the  action,  dealt  him  a  blow 
with  his  club  that  killed  him  on  the  spot. 

While  they  were  about  to  throw  the  sand  over  this 


THE   CORAI   ISLAND.  103 

chief,  one  of  the  savages  stooped  over  him,  and  with  a 
knife,  made  apparently  of  stone,  cut  a  large  slice  of  flesh 
from  his  thigh.  We  knew  at  once  that  he  intended  to 
make  use  of  this  for  food,  and  could  not  repress  a  cry  of 
horror  and  disgust. 

"  Come,  come,  you  blackguard,"  cried  Jack,  starting 
up  and  seizing  the  man  by  the  arm,  "  pitch  that  into  the 
hole.     Do  you  hear  ?  " 

The  savage  of  course  did  not  understand  the  command, 
but  he  perfectly  understood  the  look  of  disgust  with 
which  Jack  regarded  the  flesh,  and  his  fierce  gaze  as  he 
pointed  towards  the  hole.  Nevertheless  he  did  not  obey. 
Jack  instantly  turned  to  Tararo  and  made  signs  to  him 
to  enforce  obedience.  The  chief  seemed  to  understand 
the  appeal,  for  he  stepped  forward,  raised  his  club,  and 
was  on  the  point  of  dashing  out  the  brains  of  his  offend- 
ing subject,  when  Jack  sprang  forward  and  caught  his 
uplifted  arm. 

"  vStop  !  "  he  shouted,  "  you  blockhead,  I  don't  want  you 
to  kill  the  man."  lie  then  pointed  again  to  the  flesh  and 
to  the  hole.  The  chief  uttered  a  few  words,  which  had 
the  desired  effect ;  for  the  man  threw  the  flesh  into  the 
hole  which  was  immediately  filled  up.  This  man  was  of 
a  morose,  sulky  disposition,  and  during  all  the  time  he  re- 
mained on  the  island,  regarded  us,  especially  Jack,  with 
a  scowling  visage.      His  name,  we  found,  was  Mahine. 

The  next  three  or  four  days  were  spent  by  the  savages 
in  mending  their  canoe,  which  had  been  damaged  by  the 
violent  shock  it  had  sustained  on  striking  the  shore. 
This  canoe  was  a  very  curious  structure.  It  was  about 
thirty  feet  long,  and  had  a  high  towering  stern.  The  tim- 
bers of  which  it  was  partly  composed,  were  fastened  much 
in  the  same  way  as  those  of  our  little  boat  were  put  to- 
13 


194  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

getlier ;  but  the  part  that  seemed  most  curious  to  us  was 
a  sort  of  outrigger,  or  long  plank,  which  was  attached  to 
the  body  of  the  canoe  by  means  of  two  stout  cross 
beams.  These  beams  kept  the  plank  parallel  with  the 
canoe,  but  not  in  contact  with  it,  for  it  floated  in  the 
water,  with  an  open  space  between  ;  thus  forming  a  sort 
of  doable  canoe.  This  we  found  was  intended  to  prevent 
the  upsetting  of  the  canoe,  which  was  so  narrow  that  it 
could  not  have  maintained  an  upright  position  without 
the  outrigger.  We  could  not  help  wondering  both  at 
the  ingenuity  and  the  clumsiness  of  this  contrivance. 

When  the  canoe  was  ready,  we  assisted  the  natives  to 
carry  the  prisoners  into  it,  and  helped  them  to  load  it 
with  provisions  and  fruit.  Peterkin  also  went  to  the 
plum-tree  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  special  onslaught 
upon  the  hogs,  and  killed  no  less  than  six  of  them. 
These  we  baked  and  presented  to  our  friends  on  the  day 
of  their  departure.  On  that  day,  Tararo  made  a  great 
many  energetic  signs  to  us,  which,  after  much  considera- 
tion, we  came  to  understand  were  proposals  that  we 
should  go  away  with  him  to  his  island ;  but  having  no 
desire  to  do  so,  we  shook  our  heads  very  decidedly. 
However,  we  consoled  him  by  presenting  him  with  our 
rusty  axe,  which  we  thought  we  could  spare,  having  the 
excellent  one  which  had  been  so  providentially  washed 
ashore  to  us  the  day  we  were  wrecked.  We  also  gave 
him  a  piece  of  wood  with  our  names  carved  on  it,  and  a 
piece  of  string  to  hang  it  round  his  neck  as  an  ornament. 

In  a  few  minutes  more  we  were  all  assembled  on  the 
beach.  Being  unable  to  speak  to  the  savages,  we  went 
through  the  ceremony  of  shaking  hands,  and  expected 
they  would  depart ;  but,  before  doing  so,  Tararo  went  up 
to  Jack  and  rubbed  noses  with  him,  after  which  he  did 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  195 

the  same  with  Peterkin  and  me  !  Seeing  that  this  was 
their  mode  of  salutation,  we  determined  to  conform  to 
their  custom,  so  we  rubbed  noses  heartily  with  the  whole 
party,  women  and  all!  The  only  disagreeable  part  of 
the  process  was  when  we  came  to  rub  noses  with  Ma- 
in lie  ;  and  Peterkin  afterwards  said,  that  when  he  saw 
his  wolfish  eyes  glaring  so  close  to  his  face,  he  felt  much 
more  inclined  to  bang  than  to  rub  his  nose.  Avatea  was 
the  last  to  take  leave  of  us,  and  we  experienced  a  feel- 
ing of  real  sorrow  when  she  approached  to  bid  us  fare- 
well. Besides  her  modest  air  and  gentle  manners,  she 
was  the  only  one  of  the  party  who  exhibited  the  smallest 
sign  of  regret  at  parting  from  us.  Going  up  to  Jack, 
Bhe  put  out  her  flat  little  nose  to  be  rubbed,  and  thereaf- 
ter paid  the  same  compliment  to  Peterkin  and  me. 

An  hour  later  the  canoe  was  out  of  sight,  and  we,  with 
an  indefinable  feeling  of  sadness  creeping  round  our 
hearts,  were  seated  in  silence  beneath  the  shadow  of  our 
bower,  meditating  on  the  wonderful  events  of  the  last 
few  days. 


196  THE   COEAL  ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


SAGACIOUS  AND  MORAL  REMARKS  IN  REGARD  TO  LIFE  — A  SAIL!  — 
AN  UNEXPECTED  SALUTE  —  THE  END  OF  THE  BLACK  CAT  —  A 
TERRIBLE  DIVE  —  AN  INCAUTIOUS  PROCEEDING  AND  A  FRIGHT- 
FUL CATASTROPHE. 


LIFE  is  a  strange  compound.  Peterkin  used  to  say 
of  it,  that  it  beat  a  druggist's  shop  all  to  sticks  ; 
for  whereas  the  first  is  a  compound  of  good  and  bad,  the 
other  is  a  horrible  compound  of  all  that  is  utterly  detest- 
able. And  indeed  the  more  I  consider  it  the  more  I  am 
struck  with  the  strange  mixture  of  good  and  evil  that 
exists  not  only  in  the  material  earth  but  in  our  own 
natures.  In  our  own  Coral  Island  we  had  experienced 
every  variety  of  good  that  a  bountiful  Creator  could 
heap  on  us.  Yet  on  the  night  of  the  storm  we  had  seen 
how  almost,  in  our  case,  —  and  altogether,  no  doubt,  in 
the  case  of  others  less  fortunate  —  all  this  good  might  be 
swept  away  forever.  We  had  seen  the  rich  fruit-trees 
waving  in  the  soft  air,  the  tender  herbs  shooting  up- 
wards under  the  benign  influence  of  the  bright  sun  ;  and, 
the  next  day,  we  had  seen  these  good  and  beautiful  trees 
and  plants  uprooted  by  the  hurricane,  crushed  and  hurled 
to  the  ground  in  destructive  devastation.  We  had  lived 
for  many  months  in  a  clime  for  the  most  part  so  beauti- 
ful, that  we  had  often  wondered  whether  Adam  and  Eve 
had  found  Eden  more  sweet ;  and  wre  had  seen  the  quiet 
solitudes  of  our  paradise  suddenly  broken  in   upon  by 


THE   CORAL   ISLAND.  107 

ferocious  savages,  and  the  white  sands  stained  with  Mood 
and  strewed  with  lifeless  forms;  yet,  among  these  can- 
nibals, we  had  seen  many  symptoms  of  a  kindly  nature. 
I  pondered  these  things  much,  and,  while  I  considered 
them,  there  recurred  to  my  memory  those  words  which  I 
had  read  in  my  Bible,  —  the  works  of  God  are  wonder- 
ful, and  his  ways  past  finding  out. 

After  these  poor  savages  had  left  us,  we  used  to  hold 
long  and  frequent  conversations  about  them,  and  I  no- 
ticed that  Peterkin  s  manner  was  now  much  altered.  He 
did  not.  indeed,  jest  less  heartily  than  before,  but  he  did 
so  less  frequently,  and  often  there  was  a  tone  of  deep 
seriousness  in  his  manner,  if  not  in  his  words,  which 
made  him  seem  to  Jack  and  me  as  if  he  had  grown 
two  years  older  within  a  few  days.  But  indeed  I  was 
not  surprised  at  this,  when  I  reflected  on  the  awtid 
realities  which  we  had  witnessed  so  lately.  We  could 
by  no  means  shake  off  a  tendency  to  gloom  for  several 
weeks  afterwards  ;  but,  as  time  wore  away,  our  usual 
good  spirits  returned  somewhat,  and  we  began  to  think 
of  the  visit  of  the  savages  with  feelings  akin  to  those 
with  which  we  recall  a  terrible  dream. 

One  day  we  were  all  enjoying  ourselves  in  the  Water 
Garden,  preparatory  to  going  on  a  fishing  excursion ;  for 
Peterkin  had  kept  us  in  such  constant  supply  of  hogs 
that  we  had  become  quite  tired  of  pork,  and  desired  a 
change.  Peterkin  was  sunning  himself  on  the  ledge  of 
rock,  while  we  were  creeping  among  the  rocks  below. 
Happening  to  look  up,  I  observed  Peterkin  cutting  the 
most  extraordinary  capers  and  making  violent  gesticula- 
tions for  us  to  come  up  ;  so  I  gave  Jack  a  push,  and  rose 
immediately. 

"  A  sail !  a  sail !     Ralph,  look  !  Jack,  away  on  the  ho- 


198  THE    CORAL  ISLAND. 

rizon  there,  just  over  the  entrance  to  the  lagoon  !  "  cried 
Peterkin,  as  we  scrambled  up  the  rocks. 

"  So  it  is,  and  a  schooner,  too !  "  said  Jack,  as  he  pro- 
ceeded hastily  to  dress. 

Our  hearts  were  thrown  into  a  terrible  flutter  by  this 
discovery,  for  if  it  should  touch  at  our  island  we  had  no 
doubt  the  captain  would  be  happy  to  give  us  a  passage 
to  some  of  the  civilized  islands,  where  we  could  find  a 
ship  sailing  for  England,  or  some  other  part  of  Europe. 
Home,  with  all  its  associations,  rushed  in  upon  my  heart 
like  a  flood,  and,  much  though  I  loved  the  Coral  Island 
and  the  bower  which  had  now  been  our  home  so  long,  I 
felt  that  I  could  have  quitted  all  at  that  moment  with- 
out a  sigh.  With  joyful  anticipations  we  hastened  to 
the  highest  point  of  rock  near  our  dwelling,  and  awaited 
the  arrival  of  the  vessel,  for  we  now  perceived  that  she 
was  making  straight  for  the  island,  under  a  steady 
breeze. 

In  less  than  an  hour  she  was  close  to  the  reef,  where 
she  rounded  to,  and  backed  her  topsails  in  order  to  sur- 
vey the  coast.  Seeing  this,  and  fearing  that  they  might 
not  perceive  us,  we  all  three  waved  pieces  of  cocoa-nut 
cloth  in  the  air,  and  soon  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
them  beginning  to  lower  a  boat  and  bustle  about  the 
decks  as  if  they  meant  to  land.  Suddenly  a  flag  was 
run  up  to  the  peak,  a  little  cloud  of  white  smoke  rose 
from  the  schooner's  side,  and,  before  we  could  guess 
their  intentions,  a  cannon-shot  came  crashing  through  the 
bushes,  carried  away  several  cocoa-nut  trees  in  its  pas- 
sage, and  burst  in  atoms  against  the  cliff  a  few  yards 
below  the  spot  on  which  we  stood. 

With  feelings  of  terror  we  now  observed  that  the  flag 
at  the  schooner's  peak  was  black,  with  a  Death's  head 


THE   COKAL  ISLAND.  109 

and  cross  bones  upon  it.  As  we  gazed  at  each  other  in 
blank  amazement,  the  word  "  pirate  "  escaped  our  lips 
simultaneously. 

••  What  is  to  be  done?"  cried  Peterkin,  as  we  observed 
a  boat  shoot  from  the  vessel's  side,  and  make  for  the  en- 
trance of  the  reef.  "  If  they  take  us  off  the  island,  it 
will  either  be  to  throw  us  overboard  for  sport,  or  to  make 
pirates  of  us." 

I  did  not  reply,  but  looked  at  Jack,  as  being  our  only 
resource  in  this  emergency.  He  stood  with  folded  arms, 
and  his  eyes  fixed  with  a  grave,  anxious  expression  on 
the  ground.  "  There  is  but  one  hope,"  said  he,  turning 
with  a  sad  expression  of  countenance  to  Peterkin  ;  "  per- 
haps after  all,  we  may  not  have  to  resort  to  it.  If  the  <:• 
villains  are  anxious  to  take  us,  they  will  soon  overrun 
the  whole  island.     But  come,  follow  me." 

Stopping  abruptly  in  his  speech,  Jack  bounded  into  the 
wood-,  and  led  us  by  a  circuitous  route  to  Spouting  Cliff. 
Here  he  halted,  and,  advancing  cautiously  to  the  rocks, 
glanced  over  their  edge.  We  were  soon  by  his  side,  and 
saw  the  boat,  which  was  crowded  with  armed  men,  just 
touching  the  shore.  In  an  instant  the  crew  landed, 
formed  line,  and  rushed  up  to  our  bower. 

In  a  few  seconds  we  saw  them  hurrying  back  to  the 
boat,  one  of  them  swinging  the  poor  cat  round  his  head 
by  the  tail.  On  reaching  the  water's  edge,  he  tossed  it 
far  into  the  sea,  and  joined  his  companions,  who  appeared 
to  be  holding  a  hasty  council. 

"  You  see  what  we  may  expect,"  said  Jack  bitterly. 
"  The  man  who  will  wantonly  kill  a  poor  brute  for  sport 
will  think  little  of  murdering  a  fellow-creature.  Now, 
boys,  we  have  but  one  chance  left,  —  the  Diamond 
Cave." 


200  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

"The  Diamond  Cave!"  cried  Peterkin,  "then  my 
chance  is  a  poor  one,  for  I  could  not  dive  into  it  if  all 
the  pirates  on  the  Pacific  were  at  my  heels." 

"  Nay,  but,"  said  I,  "  we  will  take  you  down,  Peterkin, 
if  you  will  only  trust  us." 

As  I  spoke,  we  observed  the  pirates  scatter  over  the 
beach,  and  radiate,  as  if  from  a  centre,  towards  the  woods 
and  along  shore. 

"  Now,  Peterkin,"  said  Jack,  in  a  solemn  tone,  "  you 
must  make  up  your  mind  to  do  it,  or  we  must  make  up 
our  minds  to  die  in  your  company." 

"  Oh,  Jack,  my  dear  friend,"  cried  Peterkin,  turning 
pale,  "  leave  me ;  I  don't  believe  they'll  think  it  worth 
while  to  kill  me.  Go,  you  and  Ralph,  and  dive  into  the 
cave." 

"  That  will  not  I,"  answered  Jack  quietly,  while  he 
picked  up  a  stout  cudgel  from  the  ground.  "  So  now, 
Ralph,  we  must  prepare  to  meet  these  fellows.  Their 
motto  is  '  No  quarter.'  If  we  can  manage  to  floor  those 
coming  in  this  direction,  we  may  escape  into  the  woods 
for  a  while." 

"  There  are  five  of  them,"  said  I ;  "we  have  no 
chance." 

"  Come,  then,"  cried  Peterkin,  starting  up,  and  grasp- 
ing Jack  convulsively  by  the  arm,  "  let  us  dive ;  I  will 
go." 

Those  who  are  not  naturally  expert  in  the  water  know 
well  the  feelings  of  horror  that  overwhelm  them,  when  in 
it,  at  the  bare  idea  of  being  held  down,  even  for  a  few 
seconds,  —  that  spasmodic  involuntary  recoil  from  com- 
pulsory immersion  which  has  no  connection  whatever  with 
cowardice ;  and  they  will  understand  the  amount  of  reso- 
lution that  it  required  in  Peterkin  to  allow  himself  to  be 


THE    CORAL    ISLAND.  201 

dragged  down  to  a  depth  of  ten  feet,  and  then,  through  a 
narrow  tunnel,  into  an   almost  pitch-dark   cavern.     But 

there  was  no  alternative.  The  pirates  had  already  caught 
sight  of  us,  and  were  now  within  a  short  distance  of  the 
reck-. 

Jack  and  I  seized  Peterkin  by  the  arras. 

"  Now,  keep  quite  still,  no  struggling,"  said  Jack,  "  or 
we  are  lost." 

Peterkin  made  no  reply,  but  the  stern  gravity  of  his 
marble  features,  and  the  tension  of  his  muscles,  satisfied 
us  that  he  had  fully  made  up  his  mind  to  go  through  with 
it.  Just  as  the  pirates  gained  the  foot  of  the  rocks, 
which  hid  us  for  a  moment  from  their  view,  we  bent  over 
the  sea,  and  plunged  down  together  head  foremost. 
Peterkin  behaved  like  a  hero.  He  floated  passively  be- 
tween us  like  a  log  of  wood,  and  we  passed  the  tunnel 
and  rose  into  the  cave  in  a  shorter  space  of  time  than  I 
had  ever  done  it  before. 

Peterkin  drew  a  long,  deep  breath  on  reaching  the  sur- 
face ;  and  in  a  few  seconds  we  were  all  standing  on  the 
ledge  of  rock  in  safety.  Jack  now  searched  for  the  tinder 
and  torch,  which  always  lay  in  the  cave.  He  soon  found 
them,  and,  lighting  the  torch,  revealed  to  Peterkin's  won- 
dering gaze  the  marvels  of  the  place.  But  we  were 
too  wet  to  waste  much  time  in  looking  about  us.  Our 
first  care  was  to  take  oft'  our  clothes,  and  wring  them  as 
dry  as  we  could.  This  done,  we  proceeded  to  examine 
into  the  state  of  our  larder,  for,  as  Jack  truly  remarked, 
there  was  no  knowing  how  long  the  pirates  might  remain 
on  the  island. 

"  Perhaps,"  said  Peterkin,  "  they  may  take  it  into  their 
heads  to  stop  here  altogether,  and  so  we  shall  be  buried 
alive  in  this  place." 


202  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

"  Don't  you  think,  Peterkin,  that  it's  the  nearest  thing 
to  being  drowned  alive  that  you  ever  felt  ?  "  said  Jack 
with  a  smile.  "  But  I've  no  fear  of  that.  These  villains 
never  stay  long  on  shore.  The  sea  is  their  home,  so  you 
may  depend  upon  it  that  they  won't  stay  more  than  a  day 
or  two  at  the  furthest." 

We  now  began  to  make  arrangements  for  spending 
the  night  in  the  cavern.  At  various  periods  Jack  and 
I  had  conveyed  cocoa-nuts  and  other  fruits,  besides 
rolls  of  cocoa-nut  cloth,  to  this  submarine  cave,  partly 
for  amusement,  and  partly  from  a  feeling  that  we 
might  possibly  be  driven  one  day  to  take  shelter  here 
from  the  savages.  Little  did  we  imagine  that  the  first 
savages  who  would  drive  us  into  it  would  be  white  sav- 
ages, perhaps  our  own  countrymen.  We  found  the  cocoa- 
nuts  in  good  condition,  and  the  cooked  yams,  but  the 
breadfruits  were  spoiled.  We  also  found  the  cloth  where 
we  had  left  it ;  and,  on  opening  it  out,  there  proved  to  be 
sufficient  to  make  a  bed  ;  which  was  important,  as  the 
rock  was  damp.  Having  collected  it  all  together,  we 
spread  out  our  bed,  placed  our  torch  in  the  midst  of  us, 
and  ate  our  supper.  It  was  indeed  a  strange  chamber  to 
feast  in  ;  and  we  could  not  help  remarking  on  the  cold, 
ghastly  appearance  of  the  walls,  and  the  black  water  at 
our  side,  with  the  thick  darkness  beyond,  and  the  sullen 
sound  of  the  drops  that  fell  at  long  intervals  from  the 
roof  of  the  cavern  into  the  still  water  ;  and  the  strong 
contrast  between  all  this  and  our  bed  and  supper,  which, 
with  our  faces,  were  lit  up  with  the  deep  red  flame  of 
the  torch. 

We  sat  long  over  our  meal,  talking  together  in  sub- 
dued voices,  for  we  did  not  like  the  dismal  echoes  that 
rang  through  the  vault  above  when  we  happened  to  raise 


THE    CORAL  ISLAND.  203 

them.  At  last  the  faint  light  that  came  through  the 
opening  died  away,  warning  us  that  it  was  night  and  time 
for  rest.  We  therefore  put  out  our  torch  and  lay  down 
to  sleep. 

On  awaking,  it  was  some  time  ere  we  could  collect 
our  faculties  so  as  to  remember  where  we  were,  and  we 
were  in  much  uncertainty  as  to  whether  it  was  early  or 
late.  We  saw  by  the  faint  light  that  it  was  day,  but  could 
not  guess  at  the  hour ;  so  Jack  proposed  that  he  should 
dive  out  and  reconnoitre. 

"  No,  .lack,"  said  I,  "  do  you  rest  here.  You've  had 
enough  to  do  during  the  last  few  days.  Rest  yourself 
now,  and  take  care  of  Peterkin,  while  I  go  out  to  see 
what  the  pirates  are  about.  I'll  be  very  careful  not  to 
expose  myself,  and  I'll  bring  you  word  again  in  a  short 
lame." 

"  Very  well  Ralph,"  answered  Jack,  "  please  yourself, 
but  don't  be  long;  and  if  you'll  take  my  advice  you'll  go 
in  your  clothes,  for  I  would  like  to  have  some  fresh  cocoa- 
nuts,  and  climbing  trees  without  clothes  is  uncomfortable, 
to  say  the  least  of  it." 

"  The  pirates  will  be  sure  to  keep  a  sharp  look-out," 
.siid  Peterkin,  ''so,  pray,  be  careful." 

"  No  fear,"  said  I ;  "  good-bye." 

"  Good-bye,"  answered  my  comrades. 

And  while  the  words  were  yet  sounding  in  my  ears,  I 
plunged  into  the  water,  and  in  a  few  seconds  found  my- 
self in  the  open  air.  On  rising,  I  was  careful  to  come  up 
gently  and  to  breathe  softly,  while  I  kept  close  in  beside 
the  rocks  ;  but,  as  I  observed  no  one  near  me,  I  crept 
slowly  out.  and  ascended  the  cliff  a  step  at  a  time,  till  I 
obtained  a  full  view  of  the  shore.  No  pirate-  were  to  be 
seen,  —  even  their  boat  was  gone;  but  as  it  was  possible 


204  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

they  might  have  hidden  themselves,  I  did  not  venture  too 
boldly  forward.  Then  it  occurred  to  me  to  look  out  to 
sea,  when,  to  my  surprise,  I  saw  the  pirate  schooner  sail- 
ing away  almost  hull-down  on  the  horizon !  On  seeing 
this  I  uttered  a  shout  of  joy.  Then  my  first  impulse  was 
to  dive  back  to  tell  my  companions  the  good  news ;  but  I 
checked  myself,  and  ran  to  the  top  of  the  cliff,  in  order  to 
make  sure  that  the  vessel  I  saw  was  indeed  the  pirate 
schooner.  I  looked  long  and  anxiously  at  her,  and,  giving 
vent  to  a  deep  sigh  of  relief,  said  aloud,  "  Yes,  there  she 
goes ;  the  villains  have  been  balked  of  their  prey  this 
time  at  least." 

"  Not  so  sure  of  that !  "  said  a  deep  voice  at  my  side  ; 
while  at  the  same  moment,  a  heavy  hand  grasped  my 
shoulder,  and  held  it  as  if  in  a  vice. 


THE   CORAL    ISLAND.  205 


CHAPTER  XXU. 

I  FALL  INTO  THE  HANDS  OP  PIRATES  — HOW  THEY  TREATED  MB, 
AND  WHAT  I  SAID  TO  THEM  — THE  RESULT  OP  THE  WHOLE  END- 
ING IN  A  MELANCHOLY  SEPARATION,  AND  IN  A  MOST  UNEX- 
PECTED GIFT. 

MY  heart  seemed  to  leap  into  my  throat  at  the  words  ; 
and  turning  round,  I  beheld  a  man  of  immense 
stature  and  fierce  aspect  regarding  me  with  a  smile  of 
contempt.  He  was  a  white  man,  —  that  is  to  say,  he 
was  a  man  of  European  blood,  though  his  face  from  long 
exposure  to  the  weather,  was  deeply  bronzed.  His  dress 
was  that  of  a  common  seaman,  except  that  he  had  on  a 
Greek  skullcap,  and  wore  a  broad  shawl  of  the  richest 
silk  round  his  waist.  In  this  shawl  were  placed  two  pair 
of  pistols,  and  a  heavy  cutlass.  He  wore  a  Jbeard  and 
mustache,  which,  like  the  locks  on  his  head,  were  short, 
curly,  and  sprinkled  with  gray  hairs. 

"  So,  youngster,"  he  said,  with  a  sardonic  smile,  while  I 
felt  his  grasp  tighten  on  my  shoulder,  "  the  villains  have 
been  balked  of  their  prey,  have  they  ?  We  shall  see, 
we  shall  see.  Now,  you  whelp,  look  yonder."  As  he 
spoke,  the  pirate  uttered  a  shrill  whistle.  In  a  second  or 
two  it  was  answered,  and  the  pirate-boat  rowed  round 
the  point  at  the  Water  Garden,  and  came  rapidly  towards 
us.  "  Now,  go,  make  a  fire  on  that  point ;  and  hark'ee, 
youngster,  if  you  try  to  run  away,  I'll  send  a  quick  and 
sure  messenger  after  you;"  and  he  pointed  signiticantly 
at  his  pistols. 


206  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

I  obeyed  in  silence,  and  as  I  happened  to  have  the 
burning-glass  in  my  pocket,  a  fire  was  speedily  kindled, 
and  a  thick  smoke  ascended  into  the  air.  It  had  scarce- 
ly appeared  for  two  minutes  when  the  boom  of  a  gun 
rolled  over  the  sea,  and,  looking  up,  I  saw  that  the 
schooner  was  making  for  the  island  again.  It  now 
flashed  across  me  that  this  was  a  ruse  on  the  part  of  the 
pirates,  and  that  they  had  sent  their  vessel  away,  know- 
ing that  it  would  lead  us  to  suppose  that  they  had  left 
altogether.  But  there  was  no  use  of  regret  now.  I  was 
completely  in  their  power,  so  I  stood  helplessly  beside 
the  pirate  watching  the  crew  of  the  boat  as  they  landed 
on  the  beach.  For  an  instant  I  contemplated  rushing 
over  the  cliff  into  the  sea,  but  this  I  saw  I  could  not  now 
accomplish,  as  some  of  the  men  were  already  between 
me  and  the  water. 

There  was  a  good  deal  of  jesting  at  the  success  of 
their  scheme,  as  the  crew  ascended  the  rocks  and  ad- 
dressed the  man  who  had  captured  me  by  the  title  of 
captain.  They  were  a  ferocious  set  of  men,  with  shaggy 
beards  and  scowling  brows.  All  of  them  were  armed 
with  cutlasses  and  pistols,  and  their  costumes  were,  with 
trifling  variations,  similar  to  that  of  the  captain.  As  I 
looked  from  one  to  the  other,  and  observed  the  low, 
scowling  brows,  that  never  unbent,  even  when  the  men 
laughed,  and  the  mean,  rascally  expression  that  sat  on 
each  face,  I  felt  that  my  life  hung  by  a  hair. 

"But  where  are  the  other  cubs?"  cried  one  of  the 
men,  with  an  oath  that  made  me  shudder.  "  I'll  swear 
to  it  there  were  three,  at  least,  if  not  more." 

"  You  hear  what  he  says,  whelp ;  where  are  the  other 
dogs  ?  "  said  the  captain. 

"  If  you  mean  my  companions,"  said  I,  in  a  low  voice, 
"  I  won't  tell  you." 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  207 

A  loud  laugh  burst  from  the  crew  at  this  answer. 

The  pirate  captain  looked  at  me  in  surprise.  Then 
drawing  a  pistol  from  his  belt,  he  cocked  it  and  -aid, 
"  Now,  youngster,  listen  to  me.  I've  no  time  to  waste 
here.  If  you  don't  tell  me  all  you  know,  I'll  blow  your 
brains  out !     Where  are  your  comrades  ?" 

For  an  instant  I  hesitated,  not  knowing  what  to  do  in 
this  extremity.     Suddenly  a  thought  occurred  to  me. 

"  Villain,"  said  I,  shaking  my  clenched  fist  in  his  face, 
"  to  blow  my  brains  out  would  make  short  work  of  me, 
and  be  soon  over.  Death  by  drowning  is  as  sure,  and 
the  agony  prolonged,  yet,  I  tell  you  to  your  face,  if  you 
were  to  toss  me  over  yonder  cliff  into  the  sea,  I  would 
not  tell  you  where  my  companions  are,  and  I  dare  you  to 
try  me!" 

The  pirate  captain  grew  white  with  rage  as  I  spoke. 
u  Say  you  so  ?"  cried  he,  uttering  a  fierce  oath.  "  Here, 
lads,  take  him  by  the  legs  and  heave  him  in,  —  quick!  " 

The  men,  who  were  utterly  silenced  with  surprise  at 
my  audacity,  advanced  and  seized  me,  and  as  they  car- 
ried me  towards  the  cliff,  I  congratulated  myself  not  a 
little  on  the  success  of  my  scheme,  for  I  knew  that  once 
in  the  water,  I  should  be  safe,  and  could  rejoin  Jack  and 
Peterkin  in  the  cave.  But  my  hopes  were  suddenly 
blasted  by  the  captain  crying  out,  "  Hold  on,  lads,  hold 
on.  We'll  give  him  a  taste  of  the  thumb-screws  before 
throwing  him  to  the  sharks.  Away  with  him  into  the 
boat.     Look  alive  !  the  breeze  is  freshening." 

The  men  instantly  raised  me  shoulder  high,  and,  hur- 
rying down  the  rocks,  tossed  me  into  the  bottom  of  the 
boat,  where  I  lay  for  some  time  stunned  with  the  vio- 
lence of  my  fall. 

On  recovering  sufficiently  to  raise  myself  on  my  el- 


208  THE    CORAL  ISLAND. 

bow,  I  perceived  that  we  were  already  outside  the  coral 
reef,  and  close  alongside  the  schooner,  which  was  of 
small  size  and  clipper  built.  I  had  only  time  to  observe 
this  much,  when  I  received  a  severe  kick  on  the  side 
from  one  of  the  men,  who  ordered  me,  in  a  rough  voice, 
to  jump  aboard.  Rising  hastily,  I  clambered  up  the 
side.  In  a  few  minutes  the  boat  was  hoisted  on  deck, 
the  vessel's  head  put  close  to  the  wind,  and  the  Coral 
Island  dropped  slowly  astern  as  we  beat  up  against  a 
head  sea. 

Immediately  after  coming  aboard,  the  crew  were  too 
busily  engaged  in  working  the  ship  and  getting  in  the 
boat  to  attend  to  me,  so  I  remained  leaning  against  the 
bulwarks  close  to  the  gangway,  watching  their  opera- 
tions. I  was  surprised  to  find  that  there  were  no  guns 
or  carronades  of  any  kind  in  the  vessel,  which  had  more 
of  the  appearance  of  a  fast-sailing  trader  than  a  pirate. 
But  I  was  struck  with  the  neatness  of  everything.  The 
brass  work  of  the  binnacle  and  about  the  tiller,  as  well 
as  the  copper  belaying-pins,  were  as  brightly  polished  as 
if  they  had  just  come  from  the  foundry.  The  decks 
were  pure  white,  and  smooth.  The  masts  were  clean- 
scraped,  and  varnished,  except  at  the  cross-trees  and 
truck,  which  were  painted  black.  The  standing  and  run- 
ning rigging  was  in  the  most  perfect  order,  and  the  sails 
white  as  snow.  In  short,  everything,  from  the  single 
narrow  red  stripe  on  her  low  black  hull,  to  the  trucks  on 
her  tapering  masts,  evinced  an  amount  of  care  and  strict 
discipline  that  would  have  done  credit  to  a  ship  of  the 
Royal  Navy.  There  was  nothing  lumbering  or  unseem- 
ly about  the  vessel,  excepting,  perhaps,  a  boat,  which 
lay  on  the  deck  with  its  keel  up,  between  the  fore  and 
main  masts.     It  seemed  disproportionately  large  for  the 


THE  COKVL  ISLAND. 


209 


*hooner;  tat,  when  I  saw  that  the  crew  amounted  to 
between  thuty  and  forty  men,  I  concluded  that  this  boat 
"as  held  m  reserve,  in  case  of  any  accident  compelling 
the  crew  to  desert  the  vessel.  ° 

As  I  have  before  said,  the  costumes  of  the  men  were 
am.lar  to  that  of  the  captain.  But  in  headgear  they 
Offered  not  only  from  him  but  from  each  other,  some 
Wearing  the  ordinary  straw  hat  of  the  merchant  service, 
"'  '"  others  wore  cloth  caps  and  red  worsted  nightcaps 
I  observed   that  all  their  arms   were  sent  below,    the 

2KL°5  ^f  *,*  CU(IaSS  and  a  Sin=le  Pis(o1  « 
•old,  of  h,s  shawl.     Although  the  captain  was  the 

t..l-:t   and   most  powerful  man  in  the  ship,  he  did  not 
sr^ngly  excel  many  of  his  men  in  this  respect,  and  , 
onb   difference  that  an   ordinary  observer  would  have 
nonce,   was,  a  certain  degree  of  open  candor,  straightfor! 
--   danng,  in  the  bold,  ferocious  expression  of  Ins  ft 
"Inch  rendered  him  less  repulsive  than  his  ,ow-b  0   ed 
•--'na.es,  but  did  not  by  any  means  induce  ^  ££ 
J.at  he  was  a  hero.     This  look  was,  however,  the  indi  a 
-  of  that  spirit  which  gave  him  the  preeminence  amot 
e  crew  o    desperadoes   who  called  him  captain.     He 
""  *  '"'"-l-ke  villain;  totally  devoid  of  personal  fear 
;l  tot  reckIeSS,°f.— lances,   and  therefore  ^ 
,t°  .  ';  "-.;■  """dividuaMv  hated  him,  but  nnit- 
2felt  "  ,0  be  «»  advantage  to  have  him  at  their 

J;"'  »7«H*.  soon  reverted  to  the  dear  companions 
"»'«    I   had  left  on  shore,   and  as    I  turned    towards 

"-    <  -I    Island,    which   was    now    far    away  to   lee 
-d   I   s,g,,ed  deep.y,  and  the  tears  rolled  slowly  dot' 

Z.;",eekS  M  *  *"•*  *-  I  Wght  never  se    2Z 


more 

14 


210  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

"  So  you're  blubbering,  are  you,  you  obstinate  whelp  ?  " 
said  the  deep  voice  of  the  captain,  as  he  came  up  and 
gave  me  a  box  on  the  ear  that  nearly  felled  me  to  the 
deck.  "  I  don't  allow  any  such  weakness  aboard  o'  this 
ship.  So  clap  a  stopper  on  your  eyes  or  I'll  give  you 
something  to  cry  for." 

I  flushed  with  indignation  at  this  rough  and  cruel  treat- 
ment, but  felt  that  giving  way  to  anger  would  only  make 
matters  worse,  so  I  made  no  reply,  but  took  out  my  hand- 
kerchief and  dried  my  eyes. 

"  I  thought  you  were  made  of  better  stuff,"  continued 
the  captain,  angrily ;  "  I'd  rather  have  a  mad  bull-dog 
aboard  than  a  water-eyed  puppy.  But  I'll  cure  you,  lad, 
or  introduce  you  to  the  sharks  before  long.  Now  go 
below,  and  stay  there  till  I  call  you." 

As  I  walked  forward  to  obey,  my  eye  fell  on  a  small 
keg  standing  by  the  side  of  the  mainmast,  on  which  the 
word  gunpowder  was  written  in  pencil.  It  immediately 
flashed  across  me  that,  as  we  were  beating  up  against  the 
wind,  anything  floating  in  the  sea  would  be  driven  on  the 
reef  encircling  the  Coral  Island.  I  also  recollected  — 
for  thought  is  more  rapid  than  the  lightning  —  that  my 
old  companions  had  a  pistol.  Without  a  moment's  hes- 
itation, therefore,  I  lifted  the  keg  from  the  deck  and 
tossed  it  into  the  sea !  An  exclamation  of  surprise  burst 
from  the  captain  and  some  of  the  men  who  witnessed  this 

act  of  mine. 

Striding  up  to  me,  and  uttering  fearful  imprecations, 
the  captain  raised  his  hand  to  strike  me,  while  he  shouted, 
"  Boy !  whelp  !  what  mean  you  by  that  ?  " 

"  If  you  lower  your  hand,"  said  I,  in  a  loud  voice, 
while  I  felt  the  blood  rush  to  my  temples,  "  I'll  tell  you. 
Until  you  do  so  I'm  dumb  !  " 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  211 

The  captain  stepped  back  and  regarded  me  with  a 
look  of  amazement. 

"  Now,"  continued  I,  "  I  threw  that  keg  into  the 
because  the  wind  and  waves  will  carry  it  to  my  friends 
on  the  Coral  Island,  who  happen  to  have  a  pistol,  but  no 
powder.  I  hope  that  it  will  reach  them  soon,  and  my 
only  regret  is  that  the  keg  was  not  a  bigger  one.  More- 
over, pirate,  you  said  just  now  that  you  thought  I  was 
made  of  better  stuff!  I  don't  know  what  stuff  1  am  made 
of,  —  I  never  thought  much  about  that  subject ;  but  I'm 
quite  certain  of  this,  that  I  am  made  of  such  stuff  as 
the  like  of  you  shall  never  tame,  though  you  should  do 
your  worst." 

To  my  surprise  the  captain,  instead  of  flying  into  a 
rage,  smiled,  and,  thrusting  his  hand  into  the  voluminous 
shawl  that  encircled  his  waist,  turned  on  his  heel  and 
walked  aft,  while  I  went  below. 

Here,  instead  of  being  rudely  handled,  as  I  had  ex- 
pected, the  men  received  me  with  a  shout  of  laughter, 
and  one  of  them,  patting  me  on  the  back,  said,  "  Well 
done,  lad !  you're  a  brick,  and  I  have  no  doubt  will  turn 
out  a  rare  eove.  Bloody  Bill,  there,  was  just  such  a 
fellow  as  you  are,  and  he's  now  the  biggest  cut-throat  of 
us  all." 

"  Take  a  can  of  beer,  lad,"  cried  another,  "  and  wet 
your  whistle  after  that  speech  o'  your'n  to  the  captain. 
If  any  one  o'  us  had  made  it,  youngster,  he  would  have 
had  no  whistle  to  wet  by  this  time." 

"  Stop  your  clapper,  Jack,"  vociferated  a  third  ;  k-  give 
the  boy  a  junk  o'  meat.  Don't  you  see  he's  a'most  goiif 
to  kick  the  bucket  ?  " 

"  And  no  wonder,"  said  the  first  speaker,  with  an 
oath,  "  after  the  tumble  you  gave  him  into  the  boat.    I 


212  THE   CORAL  ISLAND.      . 

guess  it  would   have   broke   your  neck   if  you  had  got 
it." 

I  did  indeed  feel  somewhat  faint;  which  was  owing, 
doubtless,  to  the  combined  effects  of  ill-usage  and  hunger; 
for  it  will  be  recollected  that  I  had  dived  out  of  the  cave 
that  morning  before  breakfast,  and  it  was  now  near  mid- 
day. I  therefore  gladly  accepted  a  plate  of  boiled  pork 
and  a  yam,  which  were  handed  to  me  by  one  of  the  men 
from  the  locker  on  which  some  of  the  crew  were  seated 
eating  their  dinner.  But  I  must  add  that  the  zest  with 
which  I  ate  my  meal  was  much  abated  in  consequence  of 
the  frightful  oaths  and  the  terrible  language  that  flowed 
from  the  lips  of  these  godless  men,  even  in  the  midst  of 
their  hilarity  and  good-humor.  The  man  who  had  been 
alluded  to  as  Bloody  Bill  was  seated  near  me,  and  I 
could  not  help  wondering  at  the  moody  silence  he  main- 
tained among  his  comrades.  He  did  indeed  reply  to 
their  questions  in  a  careless,  off-hand  tone,  but  he  never 
volunteered  a  remark.  The  only  difference  between 
him  and  the  others  was  his  taciturnity  and  his  size,  for 
he  was  nearly,  if  not  quite,  as  large  a  man  as  the 
captain. 

During  the  remainder  of  the  afternoon  I  was  left  to 
my  own  reflections,  which  were  anything  but  agreeable, 
for  I  could  not  banish  from  my  mind  the  threat  about  the 
thumb-screws,  of  the  nature  and  use  of  which  I  had  a 
vague  but  terrible  conception.  I  was  still  meditating  on 
my  unhappy  fate  when,  just  after  nightfall,  one  of  the 
watch  on  deck  called  down  the  hatchway, — 

"  Hallo  there !  one  o'  you,  tumble  up  and  light  the 
cabin  lamp,  and  send  that  boy  aft  to  the  captain  — 
sharp ! " 

"  Now  then,  do  you  hear,  youngster  ?  the  captain  wants 


THE   CORAL   ISLAND.  213 

you.  Look  alive,"  said  Bloody  Bill,  raising  his  huge  frame 
from  the  locker  on  which  he  had  been  asleep  for  the  last 
two  hours.  He  sprang  up  the  ladder  and  I  instantly 
followed  him,  and,  going  aft,  was  shown  into  the  cabin  by 
one  of  the  men,  who  closed  the  door  after  me. 

A  small  silver  lamp  which  hung  from  a  beam  threw 
a  dim  soft  light  over  the  cabin,  which  was  a  small  apart- 
ment, and  comfortably  but  plainly  furnished.  Seated  on 
a  camp-stool  at  the  table,  and  busily  engaged  in  examin- 
ing a  chart  of  the  Pacific,  was  the  captain,  who  looked 
up  as  I  entered,  and,  in  a  quiet  voice,  bade  me  be  seated, 
while  he  threw  down  his  pencil,  and,  rising  from  the 
table,  stretched  himself  on  a  sofa  at  the  upper  end  of 
the  cabin. 

"  Boy,"  said  he,  looking  me  full  in  the  face,  "  what  is 
your  name  ?  " 

"  Ralph  Rover,"  I  replied. 

"  Where  did  you  come  from,  and  how  came  you  to  be 
on  that  island  ?  How  many  companions  had  you  on  it  ? 
Answer  me,  now,  and  mind  you  tell  no  lies." 

"  I  never  tell  lies,"  said  I,  firmly. 

The  captain  received  this  reply  with  a  cold  sarcastic 
smile,  and  bade  me  answer  his  questions. 

I  then  told  him  the  history  of  myself  and  my  com- 
panions from  the  time  we  sailed  till  the  day  of  his  visit 
to  the  island,  taking  care,  however,  to  make  no  mention 
of  the  Diamond  Cave.  After  I  had  concluded,  he  was 
silent  for  a  few  minutes ;  then,  looking  up,  he  said  — 
"  Boy,  I  believe  you." 

1  was  surprised  at  this  remark,  for  I  could  not  imagine 
why  he  should  not  believe  me.  However,  I  made  no 
reply. 

"And  what,"  continued  the  captain,  "  makes  "you  think 
that  this  schooner  is  a  pirate?" 


214  THE    CORAL   ISLAND. 

"  The  black  flag,"  said  I,  "  showed  me  what  you  are ; 
and  if  any  further  proof  were  wanting  I  have  had  it  in 
the  brutal  treatment  I  have  received  at  your  hands." 

The  captain  frowned  as  I  spoke,  but  subduing  his 
anger  he  continued  —  "  Boy,  you  are  too  bold.  I  ad- 
mit that  we  treated  you  roughly,  but  that  was  because 
you  made  us  lose  time  and  gave  us  a  good  deal  of 
trouble.  As  to  the  black  flag,  that  is  merely  a  joke 
that  my  fellows  play  off  upon  people  sometimes  in  order 
to  frighten  them.  It  is  their  humor,  and  does  no  harm. 
I  am  no  pirate,  boy,  but  a  lawful  trader,  —  a  rough  one, 
I  grant  you,  but  one  can't  help  that  in  these  seas,  where 
there  are  so  many  pirates  on  the  water  and  such  mur- 
derous blackguards  on  the  land.  I  carry  on  a  trade  in 
sandal-wood  with  the  Feejee  Islands  ;  and  if  you  choose 
Ralph,  to  behave  yourself  and  be  a  good  boy,  I'll  take 
you  along  with  me  and  give  you  a  good  share  of  the 
profits.  You  see  I'm  in  want  of  an  honest  boy  like  you, 
to  look  after  the  cabin  and  keep  the  log,  and  superintend 
the  traffic  on  shore  sometimes.  What  say  you,  Ralph, 
would  you  like  to  become  a  sandal-wood  trader  ?  " 

I  was  much  surprised  by  this  explanation,  and  a  good 
deal  relieved  to  find  that  the  vessel,  after  all,  was  not  a 
pirate  ;  but  instead  of  replying  I  said,  "  If  it  be  as  you 
state,  then  why  did  you  take  me  from  my  island,  and  why 
do  you  not  now  take  me  back  ?  " 

The  captain  smiled  as  he  replied,  "  I  took  you  off  in 
anger,  boy,  and  I'm  sorry  for  it.  I  would  even  now  take 
you  back,  but  we  are  too  far  away  from  it.  See,  there 
it  is,"  he  added,  laying  his  finger  on  the  chart,  "  and  we 
are  now  here,  —  fifty  miles  at  least.  It  would  not  be  fair 
to  my  men  to  put  about  now,  for  they  have  all  an  inter- 
est in  the  trade." 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  215 

I  could  make  no  reply  to  this  ;  so,  after  a  little  more 
conversation,  I  agreed  to  become  one  of  the  crew,  at  least 
until  we  could  reach  some  civilized  island  where  I  might 
be  put  ashore.  The  captain  assented  to  this  proposition, 
and  after  thanking  him  for  the  promise,  I  left  the  cabin 
and  went  on  deck  with  feelings  that  ought  to  have  been 
lighter,  but  which  were,  I  could  not  tell  why,  marvel- 
lously heavy  and  uncomfortable  still. 


216  TEE  CORAL  ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  XXILL 

BLOODY  BILL  — DARK  SURMISES  — A  STRANGE  SAIL,  AND  A  STRANGE 
CREW,  AND  A  STILL  STRANGER  CARGO  — NEW  REASONS  FOR 
FAVORING  MISSIONARIES  —  A  MURDEROUS  MASSACRE,  AND 
THOUGHTS   THEREON. 

THREE  weeks  after  the  conversation  narrated  in  the 
last  chapter,  I  was  standing  on  the  quarter-deck  of 
the  schooner  watching  the  gambols  of  a  shoal  of  porpoises 
that  swam  round  us.  It  was  a  dead  calm.  One  of  those 
still,  hot,  sweltering  days,  so  common  in  the  Pacific,  when 
Nature  seems  to  have  gone  to  sleep,  and  the  only  thing 
in  water  or  in  air  that  proves  her  still  alive,  is  her  long, 
deep  breathing,  in  the  swell  of  the  mighty  sea.  No  cloud 
floated  in  the  deep  blue  above ;  no  ripple  broke  the  re- 
flected blue  below.  The  sun  shone  fiercely  in  the  sky, 
and  a  ball  of  fire  blazed,  with  almost  equal  power,  from 
out  the  bosom  of  the  water.  So  intensely  still  was  it, 
;and  so  perfectly  transparent  was  the  surface  of  the  deep, 
that  had  it  not  been  for  the  long  swell  already  alluded  to, 
we  might  have  believed  the  surrounding  universe  to  be 
a  huge  blue,  liquid  ball,  and  our  little  ship  the  one  soli- 
dary material  speck  in  all  creation,  floating  in  the  midst 
of  it, 

No  sound  broke  on  our  ears  save  the  soft  puff  now  and 
then  of  a  porpoise,  the  slow  creak  of  the  masts,  as  we 
swayed  gently  on  the  swell,  the  patter  of  the  reef-points, 
and  the  occasional  flap  of  the  hanging  sails.  An  awning 
covered  the  fore  and  after  parts  of  the  schooner,  under 


THE   CORAL   ISLAND.  217 

which  the  men  composing  the  watch  on  deck  lolled  in 
sleepy  indolence,  overcome  with  excessive  heat.  Bloody 
Bill,  as  the  men  invariably  called  him,  was  standing  at 
the  tiller,  but  his  post  for  the  present  was  a  sinecure,  and 
he  whiled  away  the  time  by  alternately  gazing  in  dreamy 
abstraction  at  the  compass  in  the  binnacle,  and  by  walk- 
ing to  the  taflfrail  in  order  to  spit  into  the  sea.  In  one  of 
these  turns  he  came  near  to  where  I  was  standing,  and, 
leaning  over  the  side,  looked  long  and  earnestly  down 
into  the  blue  wave. 

This  man,  although  he  was  always  taciturn  and  often 
surly,  was  the  only  human  being  on  board  with  whom 
I  had  the  slightest  desire  to  become  better  acquainted. 
The  other  men,  seeing  that  I  did  not  relish  their  com- 
pany, and  knowing  that  I  was  a  protege  of  the  captain, 
treated  me  with  total  inditference.  Bloody  Bill,  it  is  true, 
did  the  same  ;  but  as  this  was  his  conduct  towards  every 
one  else,  it  was  not  peculiar  in  reference  to  me.  Once  or 
twice  I  tried  to  draw  him  into  conversation,  but  he 
always  turned  away  after  a  few  cold  monosyllables.  As 
he  now  leaned  over  the  tanrail  close  beside  me,  I  said  to 
him, — 

"  Bill,  why  is  it  that  you  are  so  gloomy  ?  Why  do 
you  never  speak  to  any  one  ?  " 

Bill  smiled  slightly  as  he  replied,  "  Why,  I  s'pose  it's 
because  I  haint  got  nothin'  to  say  ! " 

"That's  strange,"  said  I,  musingly;  "you  look  like  a 
man  that  could  think,  and  such  men  can  usually  speak." 

"  So  they  can,  youngster,"  rejoined  Bill,  somewhat 
sternly ;  "  and  I  could  speak  too  if  I  had  a  mind  to,  but 
what's  the  use  o'  speakin'  here  ?  The  men  only  open 
their  mouths  to  curse  and  swear,  an'  they  seem  to  find  it 
entertainin'  j  but  I  don't,  so  I  hold  my  tongue." 


218  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

"  Well,  Bill,  that's  true,  and  I  would  rather  not  hear 
you  speak  at  all  than  hear  you  speak  like  the  other  men; 
but  /  don't  swear,  Bill,  so  you  might  talk  to  me  some- 
times, I  think.  Besides,  I'm  weary  of  spending  day  after 
day  in  this  way,  without  a  single  soul  to  say  a  pleasant 
word  to.  I've  been  used  to  friendly  conversation,  Bill, 
and  I  really  would  take  it  kind  if  you  would  talk  with 
me  a  little  now  and  then." 

Bill  looked  at  me  in  surprise,  and  I  thought  I  observed 
a  sad  expression  pass  across  his  sunburnt  face. 

"  An'  where  have  you  been  used  to  friendly  conversa- 
tion," said  Bill,  looking  down  again  into  the  sea ;  "  not  on 
that  Coral  Island,  I  take  it  ? " 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  said  I  energetically ;  "  I  have  spent 
many  of  the  happiest  months  in  my  life  on  that  Coral 
Island ; "  and  without  waiting  to  be  further  questioned,  I 
launched  out  into  a  glowing  account  of  the  happy  life 
that  Jack  and  Peterkin  and  I  had  spent  together,  and 
related  minutely  every  circumstance  that  befell  us  while 
on  the  island. 

"  Boy,  boy,"  said  Bill,  in  a  voice  so  deep  that  it  startled 
me,  "  this  is  no  place  for  you." 

"  That's  true,"  said  I ;  "  I'm  of  little  use  on  board,  and 
I  don't  like  my  comrades  ;  but  I  can't  help  it,  and  at  any 
rate  I  hope  to  be  free  again  soon." 

"  Free  ?  "  said  Bill,  looking  at  me  in  surprise. 

"  Yes,  free,"  returned  I ;  "  the  captain  said  he  would 
put  me  ashore  after  this  trip  was  over." 

"  This  trip  !  Hark'ee,  boy,"  said  Bill,  lowering  his 
voice,  "  what  said  the  captain  to  you  the  day  you  came 
aboard  ? " 

"  He  said  that  he  was  a  trader  in  sandal-wood  and  no 
pirate,  and  told  me  that  if  I  would  join  him  for  this  trip 


THE   CORAL   ISLAND.  219 

he  would  give  me  a  *roo«l  share  of  the  profits  or  put  me 
on  shore  in  some  civilized  island  if  I  chose." 

Bill's  brows  lowered  savagely  as  he  muttered,  "  Ay, 
be  said  truth  when  he  told  you  he  was  a  sandal-wood 
trader,  but  he  lied  when  —  " 

til  ho!"  shouted  the  look-out  at  the  mast-head. 

u  Where,  away  ?  "  cried  Bill,  springing  to  the  tiller ; 
while  the  men,  startled  by  the  sudden  cry,  jumped  up  and 
gazed  round  the  horizon. 

"On  the  starboard  quarter,  hull  down,  sir,"  answered 
the  look-out. 

At  this  moment  the  captain  came  on  deck,  and  mount- 
in-  into  the  rigging,  surveyed  the  sail  through  the  glass. 
Then  sweeping  his  eye  round  the  horizon  he  gazed  stead- 
ily at  a  particular  point. 

u  Take  in  topsails,"  shouted  the  captain,  swinging  him- 
self down  on  the  deck  by  the  main  backstay. 

"  Take  in  topsails,"  roared  the  first  mate. 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir-r-r,"  answered  the  men  as  they  sprang  into 
the  rigging  and  went  aloft  like  cats. 

CO       o 

Instantly  all  was  bustle  on  board  the  hitherto  quiet 
schooner.  The  topsails  were  taken  in  and  stowed,  the 
men  stood  by  the  sheets  and  halyards,  and  the  captain 
gazed  anxiously  at  the  breeze  which  was  now  rushing  to- 
wards us  like  a  sheet  of  dark  blue.  In  a  few  seconds  it 
struck  us.  The  schooner  trembled  as  if  in  surprise  at 
the  sudden  onset,  while  she  fell  away,  then  bending  grace- 
fully to  the  wind,  as  though  in  acknowledgment  of  her  sub- 
jection-, >ho  cut  through  the  waves  with  her  sharp  prow 
like  a  dolphin,  while  Bill  directed  her  course  towards  the 
strange  sail. 

In  half  an  hour  we  neared  her  sufficiently  to  make  out 
that   she  was  a  schooner,  and,  from  the  clumsy  appear*: 


220  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

ance  of  her  masts  and  sails  we  judged  her  to  be  a  trader. 
She  evidently  did  not  like  our  appearance,  for,  the  in- 
stant the  breeze  reached  her,  she  crowded  all  sail  and 
showed  us  her  stern.  As  the  breeze  had  moderated  a 
little  our  topsails  were  again  shaken  out,  and  it  soon  be- 
came evident,  —  despite  the  proverb,  "  A  stern  chase  is  a 
long  one,"  that  we  doubled  her  speed  and  would  overhaul 
her  speedily.  When  within  a  mile  we  hoisted  British 
colors,  but  receiving  no  acknowledgment,  the  captain  or- 
dered a  shot  to  be  fired  across  her  bows.  In  a  moment, 
to  my  surprise,  a  large  portion  of  the  bottom  of  the  boat 
amidships  was  removed,  and  in  the  hole  thus  exposed 
appeared  an  immense  brass  gun.  It  worked  on  a  swivel, 
and  was  elevated  by  means  of  machinery.  It  was  quickly 
loaded  and  fired.  The  heavy  ball  struck  the  water  a  few 
yards  ahead  of  the  chase,  and,  ricochetting  into  the  air, 
plunged  into  the  sea  a  mile  beyond  it. 

This  produced  the  desired  effect.  The  strange  vessel 
backed  her  topsails  and  hove-to,  while  we  ranged  up  and 
lay-to,  about  a  hundred  yards  off. 

"  Lower  the  boat,"  cried  the  captain. 

In  a  second  the  boat  was  lowered  and  manned  by  a  part 
of  the  crew,  who  were  all  armed  with  cutlasses  and  pistols. 
As  the  captain  passed  me  to  get  into  it,  he  said,  "  Jump 
into  the  stern  sheets,  Ealph,  I  may  want  you."  I  obeyed, 
and  in  ten  minutes  more  we  were  standing  on  the  stran- 
ger's deck.  We  were  all  much  surprised  at  the  sight  that 
met  our  eyes.  Instead  of  a  crew  of  such  sailors  as  we 
were  accustomed  to  see,  there  were  only  fifteen  -blacks 
standing  on  the  quarter-deck  and  regarding  us  with  looks 
of  undisguised  alarm.  They  were  totally  unarmed,  and 
most  of  them  unclothed  ;  one  or  two,  however,  wore  por- 
tions of  European  attire.     One  had  on  a  pair  of  duck 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  221 

trousers  which  were  much  too  large  for  him  and  stuck  out 
in  a  most  ungainly  manner.  Another  wore  nothing  but 
the  common  scanty  native  garment  round  the  loins,  and  a 
black  beaver  hat.  But  the  most  ludicrous  personage  of 
all,  and  one  who  seemed  to  be  chief,  was  a  tall  middle- 
aged  man,  of  a  mild,  simple  expression  of  countenance, 
who  wore  a  white  cotton  shirt,  a  swallow-tailed  coat,  and 
a  straw  hat,  while  his  black  brawny  legs  were  totally  un- 
covered below  the  knees. 

"  Where's  the  commander  of  this  ship  ?  "  inquired  our 
captain,  stepping  up  to  this  individual. 

"  I  is  capin,"  he  answered,  taking  off  his  straw  hat  and 
making  a  low  bow. 

"You!"  said  our  captain,  in  surprise.  "•  Where  do 
you  come  from,  and  where  are  you  bound?  Whatcaro-0 
have  you  aboard  ?  " 

"  We  is  come,"  answered  the  man  with  the  swallow- 
tail, "  from  Aitutaki ;  we  was  go  for  Rarotonga.  We  is 
native  miss'nary  ship ;  our  name  is  de  Olive  Branch  ; 
an'  our  cargo  is  two  tons  cocoa-nuts,  seventy  pigs,  twenty 
cats,  and  de  Gosp'l." 

This  announcement  was  received  by  the  crew  of  our 
vessel  with  a  shout  of  laughter,  which,  however,  was  per- 
emptorily checked  by  the  captain,  whose  expression  in- 
stantly changed  from  one  of  severity  to  that  of  frank 
urbanity  as  he  advanced  towards  the  missionary  and 
shook  him  warmly  by  the  hand. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  have  fallen  in  with  you,"  said  he, 
"and  I  wish  you  much  success  in  your  missionary  labors' 
Pray  take  me  to  your  cabin,  as  I  wish  to  converse  with 
you    privately." 

The  missionary  immediately  took  him  by  the  hand,  and 
as  he  led  him  away  I  heard  him  saying,  «  Me  most  glad 


222  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

to  find  you  trader;  we  t'ought  you  be  pirate.  You  very 
like  one  'bout  the  masts." 

What  conversation  the  captain  had  with  this  man  I 
never  heard,  but  he  came  on  deck  again  in  a  quarter  of 
an  hour,  and,  shaking  hands  cordially  with  the  missionary, 
ordered  us  into  our  boat  and  returned  to  the  schooner, 
which  was  immediately  put  before  the  wind.  In  a  few 
minutes  the  Olive  Branch  was  left  far  behind  us. 

That  afternoon,  as  I  was  down  below  at  dinner,  I  heard 
the  men  talking  about  this  curious  ship. 

"  I  wonder,"  said  one,  "  why  our  captain  looked  so 
sweet  on  yon  swallow-tailed  supercargo  o'  pigs  and 
Gospels.  If  it  had  been  an  ordinary  trader,  now,  he 
would  have  taken  as  many  o'  the  pigs  as  he  required 
and  sent  the  ship  with  all  on  board  to  the  bottom." 

"  Why,  Dick,  you  must  be  new  to  these  seas  if  you 
don't  know  that,"  cried  another.  "  The  captain  cares  as 
much  for  the  gospel  as  you  do  (an'  that's  precious  little), 
but  he  knows,  and  everybody  knows,  that  the  only  place 
among  the  southern  islands  where  a  ship  can  put  in  and 
get  what  she  wants  in  comfort,  is  where  the  gospel  has 
been  sent  to.  There  are  hundreds  o'  islands,  at  this 
blessed  moment,  where  you  might  as  well  jump  straight 
into  a  shark's  maw  as  land  without  a  band  o'  thirty  com- 
rades armed  to  the  teeth  to  back  you." 

"  Ay,"  said  a  man  with  a  deep  scar  over  his  right  eye, 
"  Dick's  new  to  the  work.  But  if  the  captain  takes  us 
for  a  cargo  o'  sandal-wood  to  the  Feejees  he'll  get  a  taste 
o'  these  black  gentry  in  their  native  condition.  For  my 
part  I  don't  know,  an'  I  don't  care,  what  the  gospel  does 
to  them ;  but  I  know  that  when  any  o'  the  islands  chance 
to  get  it,  trade  goes  all  smooth  an'  easy ;  but  where  they 
ha'nt  got  it,  Beelzebub  himself  could  hardly  desire  better 
company." 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  223 

"  Well,  you  ought  to  be  a  good  judge,"  cried  another, 
laughing,  "for  you've  never  kept  any  company  but  the 
worst  all  your  life ! " 

"  Ralph  Rover  ! "  shouted  a  voice  down  the  hatchway. 
"  Captain  wants  you,'  aft." 

Springing  up  the  ladder  I  hastened  to  the  cabin,  pon- 
dering as  I  went  the  strange  testimony  borne  by  these 
men  to  the  effect  of  the  gospel  on  savage  natures ;  — 
testimony  which,  as  it  was  perfectly  disinterested,  I  had 
no  doubt  whatever  was  strictly  true. 

On  coming  again  on  deck  I  found  Bloody  Bill  at 
the  helm,  and  as  we  were  alone  together  I  tried  to 
draw  him  into  conversation.  After  repeating  to  him  the 
conversation  in  the  forecastle  about  the  missionaries.  T 
said,  — 

"  Tell  me,  Bill,  is  this  schooner  really  a  trader  in  sandal- 
wood?" 

"Yes,  Ralph,  she  is;  but  she's  just  as  really  a  pirate. 
The  black  flag  you  saw  flying  at  the  peak  was  no  de- 
ception." 

"  Then  how  can  you  say  she's  a  trader  ?  "  asked  I. 

"  Why,  as  to  that,  she  trades  when  she  can't  take  by 
force,  but  she  takes  by  force,  when  she  can,  in  preference. 
Ralph,"  he  added,  lowering  his  voice,  "  if  you  had  seen 
the  bloody  deeds  that  I  have  witnessed  done  on  these 
decks  you  would  not  need  to  ask  if  we  were  pirates. 
But  you'll  find  it  out  soon  enough.  As  for  the  missionaries, 
the  captain  favors  them  because  they  are  useful  to  him. 
The  South  Sea  islanders  are  such  incarnate  fiends  that 
they  are  the  better  of  being  tamed,  and  the  missionaries 
are  the  only  men  who  can  do  it." 

Our  track  after  this  lay  through  several  clusters  of 
small  islets,  among  which  we  were  becalmed  more  than 


224  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

once.  During  this  part  of  our  voyage  the  watch  on 
deck  and  the  look-out  at  the  mast-head  were  more  than 
usually  vigilant,  as  we  were  not  only  in  danger  of  being 
attacked  by  the  natives,  who,  I  learned  from  the  captain's 
remarks,  were  a  bloody  and  deceitful  tribe  at  this  group, 
but  we  were  also  exposed  to  much  risk  from  the  multi- 
tudes of  coral  reefs  that  rose  up  in  the  channels  between 
the  islands,  some  of  them  just  above  the  surface,  others 
a  few  feet  below  it.  Our  precautions  against  the  savages 
I  found  -were  indeed  necessary. 

One  day  we  were  becalmed  among  a  group  of  small 
islands,  most  of  which  appeared  to  be  uninhabited.  As 
we  were  in  want  of  fresh  water  the  captain  sent  the  boat 
ashore  to  bring  off  a  cask  or  two.  But  we  were  mis- 
taken in  thinking  there  were  no  natives ;  for  scarcely 
had  we  drawn  near  to  the  shore  when  a  band  of  naked 
blacks  rushed  out  of  the  bush  and  assembled  on  the 
beach,  brandishing  their  clubs  and  spears  in  a  threatening 
manner.  Our  men  were  well  armed,  but  refrained  from 
showing  any  signs  of  hostility,  and  rowed  nearer  in  order 
to  converse  with  the  natives ;  and  I  now  found  that  more 
than  one  of  the  crew  could  imperfectly  speak  dialects  of 
the  language  peculiar  to  the  South  Sea  islanders.  When 
within  forty  yards  of  the  shore,  we  ceased  rowing,  and 
the  first  mate  stood  up  to  address  the  multitude ;  but, 
instead  of  answering  us,  they  replied  with  a  shower  of 
stones,  some  of  which  cut  the  men  severely.  Instantly 
our  muskets  were  levelled,  and  a  volley  was  about  to  be 
fired,  when  the  captain  hailed  us  in  a  loud  voice  from  the 
schooner,  which  lay  not  more  than  five  or  six  hundred 
yards  off  the  shore. 

"  Don't  fire,"  he  shouted,  angrily.  "  Pull  off  to  the 
point  ahead  of  you." 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  225 

The  men  looked  surprised  at  this  order,  and  uttered 
deep  curses  as  they  prepared  to  obey,  for  their  wrath 
was  roused  and  they  burned  for  revenge.  Three  or 
four  of  them  hesitated,  and  seemed  disposed  to  mutiny. 

"  Don't  distress  yourselves,  lads,"  said  the  mate,  while 
a  bitter  smile  curled  his  lip.  "  Obey  orders.  The  cap- 
tain's not  the  man  to  take  an  insult  tamely.  If  Lono- 
Tom  does  not  speak  presently  I'll  give  myself  to  the 
sharks." 

The  men  smiled  significantly  as  they  pulled  from  the 
shore,  which  was  now  crowded  with  a  dense  mass  of  sav- 
ages, amounting,  probably,  to  five  or  six  hundred.  We 
had  not  rowed  off  above  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  when 
a  loud  roar  thundered  over  the  sea,  and  the  big  brass 
gun  sent  a  withering  shower  of  grape  point-blank  into 
the  midst  of  the  living  mass,  through  which  a  wide  lane 
was  cut,  while  a  yell,  the  like  of  which  I  could  not  have 
imagined,  burst  from  the  miserable  survivors-  as  they  fled 
to  the  woods.  Amongst  the  heaps  of  dead  that  lay  on 
the  sand,  just  where  they  had  fallen,  I  could  distinguish 
mutilated  forms  writhing  in  agony,  while  ever  and  anon  one 
and  another  rose  convulsively  from  out  the  mass,  endeav- 
ored to  stagger  towards  the  wood,  and  ere  they  had  taken 
a  few  steps,  fell  and  wallowed  on  the  bloody  sand.  My 
blood  curdled  within  me  as  I  witnessed  this  frightful  and 
wanton  slaughter ;  but  I  had  little  time  to  think,  for  the 
captain's  deep  voice  came  again  over  the  water  towards 
us  :  "  Pull  ashore,  lads,  and  fill  your  water  casks."  The 
men  obeyed  in  silence,  and  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  even 
their  hard  hearts  were  shocked  by  the  ruthless  deed.  On 
gaining  the  mouth  of  the  rivulet  at  which  we  intended 
to  take  in  water,  we  found  it  flowing  with  blood,  for  the 
greater  part  of  those  who  were  slain  had  been  standing 

15 


226  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

on  the  banks  of  the  stream,  a  short  way  above  its  mouth. 
Many  of  the  wretched  creatures  had  fallen  into  it,  and 
we  found  one  body,  which  had  been  carried  down,  jam- 
med between  two  rocks,  with  the  staring  eyeballs  turned 
towards  us  and  his  black  hair  waving  in  the  ripples  of 
the  blood-red  stream.  No  one  dared  to  oppose  our  land- 
ing now,  so  we  carried  our  casks  to  a  pool  above  the 
murdered  group,  and  having  filled  them,  returned  on 
board.  Fortunately  a  breeze  sprang  up  soon  afterwards 
and  carried  us  away  from  the  dreadful  spot ;  but  it  could 
not  waft  me  away  from  the  memory  of  what  I  had  seen. 
"And  this,"  thought  I,  gazing  in  horror  at  the  captain, 
who,  with  a  quiet  look  of  indifference,  leaned  upon  the 
taffrail  smoking  a  cigar  and  contemplating  the  fertile 
green  islets  as  they  passed  like  a  lovely  picture  before 
our  eyes  —  "  this  is  the  man  who  favors  the  missionaries 
because  they  are  useful  to  him  and  can  tame  the  savages 
better  than  any  one  else  can  do  it !  "  Then  I  wondered 
in  my  mind  whether  it  were  possible  for  any  missionary 
to  tame  him  ! 


THE    CORAL  ISLAND.  227 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

BLOODY  BILL  IS  COMMUNICATIVE  AND  SAGACIOUS  —  UNPLEASANT 
PROSPECTS  —RETROSPECTIVE  MEDITATIONS  INTERRUPTED  BY 
VOLCANIC  AGENCY  — THE  PIRATES  NEGOTIATE  WITH  A  FEE  J  EE 
CHIEF  —  VARIOUS  ETCETERAS  THAT  ARE  CALCULATED  TO  SUR- 
PRISE AND  HORRIFY. 

IT  was  many  days  after  the  events  just  narrated  ere 
I  recovered  a  little  of  my  wonted  spirits.  I  could 
not  shake  off  the  feeling  for  a  long  time  that  I  was  in  a 
frightful  dream,  and  the  sight  of  our  captain  filled  me 
with  so  much  horror  that  I  kept  out  of  his  way  as  much 
as  my  duties  about  the  cabin  would  permit.  Fortunately 
he  took  so  little  notice  of  me  that  he  did  not  observe  my 
changed  feelings  towards  him,  otherwise  it  might  have 
been  worse  for  me. 

But  I  was  nowT  resolved  that  I  would  run  away  the 
very  first  island  we  should  land  at,  and  commit  myself 
to  the  hospitality  of  the  natives  rather  than  remain  an 
hour  longer  than  I  could  help  in  the  pirate  schooner.  I 
pondered  this  subject  a  good  deal,  and  at  last  made  up 
my  mind  to  communicate  my  intention  to  Bloody  Bill ; 
for,  during  several  talks  I  had  had  with  him  of  late,  I 
felt  assured  that  he  too  would  willingly  escape  if  possible. 
When  I  told  him  of  my  design  he  shook  his  head.  "  No, 
no,  Ralph,"  said  he,  "  you  must  not  think  of  running 
away  here.  Among  some  of  the  groups  of  islands  you 
might  do  so  with  safety,  but  if  you  tried  it  here  you 
would  find  that  you  had  jumped  out  of  the  fry  in'  pan 
into  the  fire." 


228  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

"  How  so,  Bill  ?  "  said  I,  "  would  the  natives  not  re- 
ceive me  ?  " 

"  That  they  would,  lad ;  but  they  would  eat  you 
too." 

"  Eat  me  !  "  said  I  in  surprise,  "  I  thought  the  South 
Sea  islanders  never  ate  anybody  except  their  enemies." 

"  Humph  ! "  ejaculated  Bill.  "  I  s'pose  t'was  yer  tender- 
hearted friends  in  England  that  put  that  notion  into  your 
head.  There's  a  set  o'  soft-hearted  folk  at  home  that  I 
knows  on,  who  don't  like  to  have  their  feelin's  ruffled, 
and  when  you  tell  them  anything  they  don't  like  —  that 
shocks  them,  as  they  call  it  —  no  matter  how  true  it  be, 
they  stop  their  ears  and  cry  out,  '  Oh,  that  is  too  hor- 
rible !  "We  can't  believe  that ! '  An'  they  say  truth. 
They  can't  believe  it  'cause  they  won't  believe  it.  Now, 
I  believe  there's  thousands  o'  the  people  in  England  who 
are  sich  born  drivellin'  worCt-believers  that  they  think  the 
black  fellows  hereaway,  at  the  worst,  eat  an  enemy  only 
now  an'  then,  out  o'  spite  ;  whereas,  I  know  for  certain, 
and  many  captains  of  the  British  and  American  navies 
know  as  well  as  me,  that  the  Feejee  islanders  eat  not 
only  their  enemies  but  one  another ;  and  they  do  it  not 
for  spite,  but  for  pleasure.  It's  a  fact  that  they  prefer 
human  flesh  to  any  other.  But  they  don't  like  white 
men's  flesh  so  well  as  black.  They  say  it  makes  them 
sick." 

"  Why,  Bill,"  said  I,  "you  told  me  just  now  that  they 
would  eat  me  if  they  caught  me." 

"  So  1  did  ;  and  so  I  think  they  would.  I've  only  heard 
some  o'  them  say  they  don't  like  white  men  so  well  as 
black  ;  but  if  they  was  hungry  they  wouldn't  be  particular. 
Anyhow,  I'm  sure  they  would  kill  you.  You  see,  Ralph, 
I've  been  a  good  while  in  them  parts,  and  I've  visited  the 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  229 

different  groups  of  islands  often  times  as  a  trader.  And 
thorough  goin'  blackguards  some  o'  them  traders  are. 
No  better  than  pirates,  I  can  tell  you.  One  captain  that 
I  sailed  with  was  not  a  chip  better  than  the  one  we're 
with  now.  He  was  tradin'  with  a  friendly  chief  one  day, 
aboard  his  vessel.  The  chief  had  swam  off  to  us  with 
the  things  for  trade  tied  a-top  of  his  head,  for  them  chaps 
are  like  otters  in  the  water.  Well,  the  chief  was  hard  on 
the  captain,  and  would  not  part  with  some  o'  his  things. 
When  their  bargainin'  was  over  they  shook  hands,  and 
the  chief  jumped  overboard  to  swim  ashore ;  but  before 
he  got  forty  yards  from  the  ship  the  captain  seized  a  mus- 
ket and  shot  him  dead.  He  then  hove  up  anchor  and  put 
to  sea,  and  as  we  sailed  along  shore,  he  dropped  six 
black  fellows  with  his  rifle,  remarkm'  that  '  that  would 
spoil  the  trade  for  the  next  comers.'  But,  as  I  was 
sayin',  I'm  up  to  the  ways  o'  these  fellows.  One  o'  the 
laws  o'  the  country  is,  that  every  shipwrecked  person  who 
happens  to  be  cast  ashore,  be  he  dead  or  alive,  is  doomed 
to  be  roasted  and  eaten.  There  was  a  small  tradin9 
schooner  wrecked  off  one  of  these  islands  when  we 
were  lyin'  there  in  harbor  during  a  storm.  The  crew 
was  lost,  all  but  three  men,  who  swam  ashore.  The 
moment  they  landed  they  were  seized  by  the  natives  and 
carried  up  into  the  woods.  We  knew  pretty  well  what 
their  fate  would  be,  but  we  could  not  help  them,  for  our 
crew  was  small,  and  if  we  had  gone  ashore  they  would 
likely  have  killed  us  all.  We  never  saw  the  three  men 
again;  but  we  heard  frightful  yelling,  and  dancing,  and 
merry-making  that  night ;  and  one  of  the  natives,  who 
came  aboard  to  trade  with  us  next  day,  told  us  that 
the  long  pigs,  as  he  called  the  men,  had  been  roasted 
and    eaten,  and  their   bones  were  to  be  converted  into 


230  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

sail  needles.      He  also  said    that  white  men  were  bad 
to  eat,  and  that  most  o'  the  people  on  shore  were  sick." 

I  was  very  much  shocked  and  cast  down  in  my  mind 
at  this  terrible  account  of  the  natives,  and  asked  Bill 
what  he  would  advise  me  to  do.  Looking  round  the 
deck  to  make  sure  that  we  were  not  overheard,  he 
lowered  his  voice  and  said,  "  There  are  two  or 
three  ways  that  we  might  escape,  Ralph,  but  none  o' 
them's  easy.  If  the  captain  would  only  sail  for  some 
o'  the  islands  near  Tahiti,  we  might  run  away  there 
well  enough,  because  the  natives  are  all  Christians ;  an' 
we  find  that  wherever  the  savages  take  up  with  Chris- 
tianity they  always  give  over  their  bloody  ways,  and  are 
safe  to  be  trusted.  I  never  cared  for  Christianity  my- 
self," he  continued,  in  a  soliloquizing  voice,  "  and  I  don't 
well  know  what  it  means  ;  but  a  man  with  half  an  eye 
can  see  what  it  does  for  these  black  critters.  How- 
ever, the  captain  always  keeps  a  sharp  look-out  after 
us  when  we  get  to  these  islands,  for  he  half  suspects 
that  one  or  two  o'  us  are  tired  of  his  company.  Then, 
we  might  manage  to  cut  the  boat  adrift  some  fine  night 
when  it's  our  watch  on  deck,  and  clear  off  before  they 
discovered  that  we  were  gone.  But  we  would  run  the 
risk  o'  bein'  caught  by  the  blacks.  I  wouldn't  like  to 
try  that  plan.  But  you  and  I  will  think  over  it,  Ralph, 
and  see  what's  to  be  done.  In  the  mean  time  it's  our 
watch  below,  so  I'll  go  and  turn  in." 

Bill  then  bade  me  good-night,  and  went  below,  while 
a  comrade  took  his  place  at  the  helm ;  but,  feeling  no 
desire  to  enter  into  conversation  with  him  I  walked  aft, 
and,  leaning  over  the  stern,  looked  down  into  the  phos- 
phorescent waves  that  gurgled  around  the  rudder,  and 
streamed  out  like  a  flame  of  blue  light  in  the  vessel's 


THE    COEAL  ISLAND.  231 

wake.  My  thoughts  were  very  sad,  and  I  could  scarce 
refrain  from  tears  as  I  contrasted  my  present  wretched 
position  with  the  happy,  peaceful  time,  I  had  spent  on 
the  Coral  Island  with  my  dear  companions.  As  I 
thought  upon  Jack  and  Peterkin  anxious  forebodings 
crossed  my  mind,  and  I  pictured  to  myself  the  grief 
and  dismay  with  which  they  would  search  every  nook 
and  corner  of  the  island,  in  a  vain  attempt  to  discover 
my  dead  body  ;  for  I  felt  assured  that  if  they  did  not  see 
any  sign  of  the  pirate  schooner  or  boat,  when  they  came 
out  of  the  cave  to  look  for  me,  they  would  never  im- 
agine that  I  had  been  carried  away.  I  wondered,  too, 
how  Jack  would  succeed  in  getting  Peterkin  out  of  the 
cave  without  my  assistance  ;  and  I  trembled  when  I 
thought  that  he  might  lose  presence  of  mind,  and  be- 
gin  to  kick  when  he  was  in  the  tunnel !  These  thoughts 
were  suddenly  interrupted  and  put  to  flight  by  a  bright 
red  blaze  which  lighted  up  the  horizon  to  the  south- 
ward, and  cast  a  crimson  glow  far  over  the  sea.  This 
appearance  was  accompanied  by  a  low  growling  sound,  as 
of  distant  thunder,  and,  at  the  same  time,  the  sky  above 
us  became  black,  while  a  hot  stifling  wind  blew  around 
us  in  fitful  gusts. 

The  crew  assembled  hastily  on  deck,  and  most  of  them 
were  under  the  belief  that  a  frightful  hurricane  was. 
pending  ;  but  the  captain  coming  on  deck,  soon  explained 
the  phenomena. 

"  It's  only  a  volcano,"  said  he.  "  I  knew  there  was  one 
hereabouts,  but  thought  it  was  extinct.  Up  there  and. 
furl  top-gallant-sails ;  we'll  likely  have  a  breeze,  and  its 
well  to  be  ready." 

As  he  spoke,  a  shower  began  to  fall,  which  we  quickly 
observed  was  not  rain,  but  fine  ashes.     As  we  were  many 


232  THE  COEAL  ISLAND. 

miles  distant  from  the  volcano,  these  must  have  been  car- 
ried to  us  from  it  by  the  wind.  As  the  captain  had  pre- 
dicted, a  stiff  breeze  soon  afterwards  sprang  up,  under 
the  influence  of  which  we  speedily  left  the  volcano  far 
behind  us ;  but  during  the  greater  part  of  the  night  we 
could  see  its  lurid  glare  and  hear  its  distant  thunder. 
The  shower  did  not  cease  to  fall  for  several  hours,  and 
we  must  have  sailed  under  it  for  nearly  forty  miles, 
perhaps  farther.  When  we  emerged  from  the  cloud,  our 
decks  and  every  part  of  the  rigging  were  completely 
covered  with  a  thick  coat  of  ashes.  I  was  much  inter- 
ested in  this,  and  recollected  that  Jack  had  often  spoken 
of  many  of  the  islands  of  the  Pacific  as  being  volcanoes, 
either  active  or  extinct,  "and  had  said  that  the  whole  re- 
gion was  more  or  less  volcanic,  and  that  some  scientific 
men  were  of  opinion  that  the  islands  of  the  Pacific  were 
nothing  more  or  less  than  the  mountain  tops  of  a  huge 
continent  which  had  sunk  under  the  influence  of  volcanic 
agency. 

Three  days  after  passing  the  volcano,  we  found  our- 
selves a  few  miles  to  windward  of  an  island  of  consider- 
able size  and  luxuriant  aspect.  It  consisted  of  two 
mountains,  which  seemed  to  be  nearly  four  thousand 
feet  high.  They  were  separated  from  each  other  by  a 
broad  valley,  whose  thick-growing  trees  ascended  a  con- 
siderable distance  upon  the  mountain  sides  ;  and  rich  level 
plains,  or  meadow-land,  spread  round  the  base  of  the 
mountains,  except  at  the  point  immediately  opposite  the 
large  valley,  where  a  river  seemed  to  carry  the  treses,  as 
it  were,  along  with  it  down  to  the  white  sandy  shore. 
The  mountain  tops,  unlike  those  of  our  Coral  Island, 
were  sharp,  needle-shaped,  and  bare,  while  their  sides 
were  more  rugged  and  grand  in  outline  than  anything  I 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  233 

had  yet  seen  in  those  seas.  Bloody  Bill  was  beside  me 
when  the  island  first  hove  in  sight. 

"  Ha ! "  he  exclaimed,  "  I  know  that  island  well.  They 
call  it  Emo." 

"  Have  you  been  here  before,  then  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"  Ay,  that  I  have,  often,  and  so  has  this  schooner.  "Tis 
a  famous  island  for  sandal- wood.  We  have  taken  many 
cargoes  off  it  already,  and  have  paid  for  them  too ;  for 
the  savages  are  so  numerous  that  we  dared  not  try  to 
take  it  by  force.  But  our  captain  has  tried  to  cheat  them 
so  often,  that  they're  beginnin'  not  to  like  us  overmuch 
now.  Besides,  the  men  behaved  ill  the  last  time  we 
were  here  ;  and  I  wonder  the  captain  is  not  afraid  to 
venture.     But  he's  afraid  o'  nothing  earthly,  I  believe." 

We  soon  ran  inside  the  barrier  coral-reef,  and  let  go 
our  anchor  in  six  fathoms  water,  just  opposite  the  mouth 
of  a  small  creek,  whose  shores  were  densely  covered  with 
mangroves  and  tall  umbrageous  trees.  The  principal 
village  of  the  natives  lay  about  half  a  mile  from  this 
point.  Ordering  the  boat  out,  the  captain  jumped  into 
it,  and  ordered  me  to  follow  him.  The  men,  fifteen  in 
number,  were  well  armed ;  and  the  mate  was  directed  to 
have  Long  Tom  ready  for  emergencies. 

"  Give  way,  lads,"  cried  the  captain. 

The  oars  fell  into  the  water  at  the  word,  the  boat  shot 
from  the  schooner's  side,  and  in  a  few  minutes  reached 
the  shore.  Here,  contrary  to  our  expectation,  we  were 
met  with  the  utmost  cordiality  by  Romata,  the  principal 
chief  of  the  island,  who  conducted  us  to  his  house,  and 
gave  us  mats  to  sit  upon.  I  observed  in  passing  that  the 
natives,  of  whom  there  were  two  or  three  thousand,  were 
totally  unarmed. 

After  a  short  preliminary  palaver,  a  feast  of  baked 


234  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

pigs  and  various  roots  was  spread  before  us ;  of  which 
we  partook  sparingly,  and  then  proceeded  to  business. 
The  captain  stated  his  object  in  visiting  the  island,  re- 
gretted that  there  had  been  a  slight  misunderstanding 
during  the  last  visit,  and  hoped  that  no  ill-will  was  borne 
by  either  party,  and  that  a  satisfactory  trade  would  be 
accomplished. 

Eomata  answered  that  he  had  forgotten  there  had  been 
any  differences  between  them,  protested  that  he  was  de- 
lighted to  see  his  friends  again,  and  assured  them  they 
should  have  every  assistance  in  cutting  and  embarking  the 
wood.  The  terms  were  afterwards  agreed  on,  and  we  rose 
to  depart.  All  this  conversation  was  afterwards  explained 
to  me  by  Bill,  who  understood  the  language  pretty  well. 

Romata  accompanied  us  on  board,  and  explained  that 
a  great  chief  from  another  island  wras  then  on  a  visit  to 
him,  and  that  he  was  to  be  ceremoniously  entertained 
on  the  following  day.  After  begging  to  be  allowed  to 
introduce  him  to  us,  and  receiving  permission,  he  sent 
his  canoe  ashore  to  bring  him  off.  At  the  same  time 
he  gave  orders  to  bring  on  board  his  two  favorites,  a 
cock  and  a  paroquet.  While  the  canoe  was  gone  on 
this  errand,  I  had  time  to  regard  the  savage  chief  at- 
tentively. He  was  a  man  of  immense  size,  with  massive 
but  beautifully  moulded  limbs  and  figure,  only  parts 
of  which,  the  broad  chest  and  muscular  arms,  were  un- 
covered ;  for,  although  the  lower  orders  generally  wore 
no  other  clothing  than  a  strip  of  cloth  called  maro 
round  their  loins,  the  chief,  on  particular  occasions, 
wrapped  his  person  in  voluminous  folds  of  a  species  of 
native  cloth  made  from  the  bark  of  the  Chinese  paper- 
mulberry.  Romata  wore  a  magnificent  black  beard  and 
mustache,  and  his  hair  was  frizzed  out  to  such  an  extent 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  235 

that  it  resembled  a  large  turban,  in  which  was  stuck  a 
long  wooden  pin  !  I  afterwards  found  that  this  pin  served 
for  scratching  the  head,  for  which  purpose  the  fingers 
were  too  short  without  disarranging  the  hair.  But  Ro- 
mata put  himself  to  much  greater  inconvenience  on  ac- 
count of  his  hair,  for  we  found  that  he  slept  with  his  head 
resting  on  a  wooden  pillow,  in  which  was  cut  a  hollow 
for  the  neck,  so  that  the  hair  of  the  sleeper  might  not  be 
disarranged. 

In  ten  minutes  the  canoe  returned,  bringing  the  other 
chief,  who  certainly  presented  a  most  extraordinary  ap- 
pearance, having  painted  one  half  of  his  face  red  and  the 
other  half  yellow,  besides  ornamenting  it  with  various 
designs  in  black  !  Otherwise  he  was  much  the  same  in 
appearance  as  Romata,  though  not  so  powerfully  built. 
As  this  chief  had  never  seen  a  ship  before,  except,  per- 
chance, some  of  the  petty  traders  that  at  long  intervals 
visit  these  remote  islands,  he  was  much  taken  up  with 
the  neatness  and  beauty  of  all  the  fittings  of  the  schooner. 
He  was  particularly  struck  with  a  musket  which  was 
shown  to  him,  and  asked  where  the  white  men  got 
hatchets  hard  enough  to  cut  the  tree  of  which  the  barrel 
was  made !  While  he  was  thus  engaged,  his  brother 
chief  stood  aloof,  talking  with  the  captain,  and  fondling 
a  superb  cock  and  a  little  blue-headed  paroquet,  the 
favorites  of  which  I  have  before  spoken.  I  observed 
that  all  the  other  natives  walked  in  a  crouching  posture 
while  in  the  presence  of  Romata.  Before  our  guests  left 
us,  the  captain  ordered  the  brass  gun  to  be  uncovered 
and  fired  for  their  gratification ;  and  I  have  every  reason 
to  believe  he  did  so  for  the  purpose  of  showing  our  supe- 
rior power,  in  case  the  natives  should  harbor  any  evil 
designs  against  us.     Romata   had  never  seen  this  gun 


236  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

before,  as  it  had  not  been  uncovered  on  previous  visits, 
and  the  astonishment  with  which  he  viewed  it  was  very 
amusing.  Being  desirous  of  knowing  its  power,  he  begged 
that  the  captain  would  fire  it.  So  a  shot  was  put  into 
it.  The  chiefs  were  then  directed  to  look  at  a  rock  about 
two  miles  out  at  sea,  and  the  gun  was  fired.  In  a  second 
the  top  of  the  rock  was  seen  to  burst  asunder,  and  to  fall 
in  fragments  into  the  sea. 

Romata  was  so  delighted  with  the  success  of  this  shot, 
that  he  pointed  to  a  man  who  was  walking  on  the  shore, 
and  begged  the  captain  to  fire  at  him,  evidently  suppos- 
ing that  his  permission  was  quite  sufficient  to  justify  the 
captain  in  such  an  act.  He  was  therefore  surprised,  and 
not  a  little  annoyed,  when  the  captain  refused  to  fire  at 
the  native,  and  ordered  the  gun  to  be  housed. 

Of  all  the  things,  however,  that  afforded  matter  of 
amusement  to  these  savages,  that  which  pleased  Romata's 
visitor  most  was  the  ship's  pump.  He  never  tired  of 
examining  it,  and  pumping  up  the  water.  Indeed,  so 
much  was  he  taken  up  with  this  pump,  that  he  could 
not  be  prevailed  on  to  return  on  shore,  but  sent  a  ca- 
noe to  fetch  his  favorite  stool,  on  which  he  seated  him- 
self, and  spent  the  remainder  of  the  day  in  pumping  the 
bilge-water  out  of  the  ship  ! 

Next  day  the  crew  went  ashore  to  cut  sandal-wood, 
while  the  captain,  with  one  or  two  men,  remained  on 
board,  in  order  to  be  ready,  if  need  be,  with  the  brass 
gun,  which  was  unhoused  and  conspicuously  elevated, 
with  its  capacious  muzzle  directed  point-blank  at  the 
chief's  house.  The  men  were  fully  armed  as  usual ; 
and  the  captain  ordered  me  to  go  with  them,  to  assist 
in  the  work.  I  was  much  pleased  with  this  order,  for 
it  freed  me  from  the  captain's  company,  which  I  could 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  237 

not  now  endure,  and  it  gave  me  an  opportunity  of  see- 
ing the  natives. 

As  we  wound  along  in  single  file  through  the  rich 
fragrant  groves  of  banana,  cocoa-nut,  breadfruit,  and  other 
trees,  I  observed  that  there  were  many  of  the  plum  and 
banian  trees,  with  which  I  had  become  familiar  on  the 
Coral  Island.  I  noticed  also  large  quantities  of  taro- 
roots,  yams,  and  sweet  potatoes,  growing  in  enclosures. 
On  turning  into  an  open  glade  of  the  woods,  we  came 
abruptly  upon  a  cluster  of  native  houses.  They  were 
built  chiefly  of  bamboos,  and  were  thatched  with  the  large 
thick  leaves  of  the  pandanus  ;  but  many  of  them  had 
little  more  than  a  sloping  roof  and  three  sides  with  an 
open  front,  being  the  most  simple  shelter  from  the  weather 
that  could  well  be  imagined.  "Within  these,  and  around 
them,  were  groups  of  natives  —  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren— who  all  stood  up  to  gaze  at  us  as  we  marched  along, 
followed  by  the  party  of  men  whom  the  chief  had  sent 
to  escort  us.  About  half  a  mile  inland  we  arrived  at 
the  spot  where  the  sandal-wood  grew,  and,  while  the 
men  set  to  work,  I  clambered  up  an  adjoining  hill  to 
observe  the  country. 

About  mid-day,  the  chief  arrived  with  several  fol- 
lowers, one  of  whom  carried  a  baked  pig  on  a  wooden 
platter,  with  yams  and  potatoes  on  several  plantain  leaves, 
which  he  presented  to  the  men,  who  sat  down  under  the 
shade  of  a  tree  to  dine.  The  chief  sat  down  to  dine 
also  ;  but,  to  my  surprise,  instead  of  feeding  himself, 
one  of  his  wives  performed  that  office  for  him !  I  was 
seated  beside  Bill,  and   asked  him  the  reason  of  this. 

"  It  is  beneath  his  dignity,  I  believe,  to  feed  himself," 
answered  Bill ;  "  but  I  daresay  he's  not  particular,  except 
on   great  occasions.     They've  a  strange   custom  among 


238  THE  COEAL  ISLAND. 

them,  Ralph,  which  is  called  tabu,  and  they  carry  it  to  great 
lengths.  If  a  man  chooses  a  particular  tree  for  his  god, 
the  fruit  o'  that  tree  is  tabued  to  him  ;  and  if  he  eats  it, 
he  is  sure  to  be  killed  by  his  people,  and  eaten,  of  course, 
for  killing  means  eating  hereaway.  Then,  you  see  that 
great  mop  o'  hair  on  the  chiefs  head  ?  Well,  he  has  a 
lot  o'  barbers  to  keep  it  in  order ;  and  it's  a  law  that  who- 
ever touches  the  head  of  a  living  chief  or  the  body  of  a 
dead  one,  his  hands  are  tabued  ;  so,  in  that  way,  the  bar- 
bers' hands  are  always  tabued,  and  they  daren't  use  them 
for  their  lives,  but  have  to  be  fed  like  big  babies,  as  they 
are,  sure  enough  !  " 

"  That's  odd,  Bill.  But  look  there,"  said  I,  pointing 
to  a  man  whose  skin  was  of  a  much  lighter  color  than  the 
generality  of  the  natives.  "  I've  seen  a  few  of  these 
light-skinned  fellows  among  the  Fejeeans.  They  seem 
to  me  to  be  of  quite  a  different  race." 

"  So  they  are,"  answered  Bill.  "  These  fellows  come 
from  the  Tongan  Islands,  which  lie  a  long  way  to  the 
eastward.  They  come  here  to  build  their  big  war-canoes ; 
and  as  these  take  two,  and  sometimes  four  years,  to  build, 
there's  always  some  o'  the  brown-skins  among  the  black 
sarpents  o'  these  islands." 

"  By  the  way,  Bill,"  said  I,  "  your  mentioning  ser- 
pents, reminds  me  that  I  have  not  seen  a  reptile  of  any 
kind  since  I  came  to  this  part  of  the  world." 

"  No  more  there  are  any,"  said  Bill,  "  if  ye  except  the 
niggers  themselves,  there's  none  on  the  islands,  but  a  liz- 
ard or  two  and  some  sich  harmless  things.  But  I  never 
seed  any  myself.  If  there's  none  on  the  land,  however, 
there's  more  than  enough  in  the  water,  and  that  minds 
me  of  a  wonderful  brute  they  have  here.  But,  come,  I'll 
show  it  to  you."     So  saying  Bill  arose,  and,  leaving  the 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  239 

men  still  busy  with  the  baked  pig,  led  me  into  the  forest. 
After  proceeding  a  short  distance  we  came  upon  a  small 
pond  of  stagnant  water.  A  native  lad  had  followed  us.  to 
whom  we  called  and  beckoned  him  to  come  to  us.  On 
Bill  saying  a  few  words  to  him,  which  I  did  not  under- 
stand, the  boy  advanced  to  the  edge  of  the  pond,  and 
gave  a  low,  peculiar  whistle.  Immediately  the  water 
became  agitated  and  an  enormous  eel  thrust  its  head 
above  the  surface  and  allowed  the  youth  to  touch  it.  It 
was  about  twelve  feet  long,  and  as  thick  round  the  body 
as  a  man's  thigh. 

"  There,"  said  Bill,  his  lip  curling  with  contempt, 
"  what  do  you  think  of  that  for  a  god,  Ralph  ?  This  is 
one  o'  their  gods,  and  it  has  been  fed  with  dozens  o'  liv- 
in'  babies  already.  How  many  more  it'll  get  afore  it 
dies  is  hard  to  say." 

"  Babies  ?"  said  I  with  an  incredulous  look. 

"  Ay,  babies,"  returned  Bill.  "  Your  soft-hearted  folk 
at  home  would  say,  '  Oh,  horrible  !  impossible  ! '  to  that, 
and  then  go  away  as  comfortable  and  unconcerned  as  if 
their  sayin'  i  horrible  !  impossible  ! '  had  made  it  a  lie. 
But  I  tell  you,  Ralph,  it's  a  fact.  I've  seed  it  with 
my  own  eyes  the  last  time  I  was  here,  an'  mayhap 
if  you  stop  awhile  at  this  accursed  place,  and  keep  a 
sharp  look-out,  you'll  see  it  too.  They  don't  feed  it  reg- 
ularly with  livin'  babies,  but  they  give  it  one  now  and 
then  as  a  treat.  Bah !  you  brute  ! "  cried  Bill,  in  disgust, 
giving  the  reptile  a  kick  on  the  snout  with  his  heavy 
boot,  that  sent  it  sweltering  back  in  agony  into  its  loath- 
some pool.  I  thought  it  lucky  for  Bill,  indeed  for  all  of 
us,  that  the  native  youth's  back  happened  to  be  turned 
at  the  time,  for  I  am  certain  that  if  the  poor  savages  had 
come  to  know  that  we  had  so  rudely  handled  their  god, 


240  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

we  should  have  to  fight  our  way  back  to  the  ship.  As 
we  retraced  our  steps  I  questioned  my  companion  further 
on  this  subject. 

"  How  comes  it,  Bill,  that  the  mothers  allow  such  a 
dreadful  thing  to  be  done  ?  " 

"  Allow  it  ?  the  mothers  do  it !  It  seems  to  me  that 
there's  nothing  too  fiendish  or  diabolical  for  these  people 
to  do.  Why,  in  some  of  the  islands  they  have  an  insti- 
tution called  the  Areoi,  and  the  persons  connected  with 
that  body  are  ready  for  any  wickedness  that  mortal  man 
can  devise.  In  fact  they  stick  at  nothing ;  and  one  o' 
their  customs  is  to  murder  their  infants  the  moment  they 
are  born.  The  mothers  agree  to  it,  and  the  fathers  do  it. 
And  the  mildest  ways  they  have  of  murdering  them  is  by 
sticking  them  through  the  body  with  sharp  splinters  of 
bamboo,  strangling  them  with  their  thumbs,  or  burying 
them  alive  and  stamping  them  to  death  while  under  the 
sod." 

I  felt  sick  at  heart  while  my  companion  recited  these 
horrors. 

"  But  it's  a  curious  fact,"  he  continued,  after  a  pause, 
during  which  we  walked  in  silence  towards  the  spot 
where  we  had  left  our  comrades,  —  "  it's  a  curious  fact, 
that  wherever  the  missionaries  get  a  footin',  all  these 
things  come  to  an  end  at  once,  an'  the  savages  take  to 
doin'  each  other  good,  and  singin'  psalms,  just  like  Meth- 
odists." 

"  God  bless  the  missionaries  !  "  said  I,  while  a  feeling 
of  enthusiasm  filled  my  heart,  so  that  I  could  speak  with 
difficulty.  "  God  bless  and  prosper  the  missionaries  till 
they  get  a  footing  in  every  island  of  the  sea ! " 

"  I  would  say  Amen  to  that  prayer,  Ralph,  if  I  could," 
said  Bill,  in  a  deep,  sad  voice  ;  "  but  it  would  be  a  mere 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  241 

mockery  for  a  man  to  ask  a  blessing  for  others  who  dare 
not  ask  one  for  himself.  But,  Ralph,"  he  continued, 
"  I've  not  told  you  half  o'  the  abominations  I  have  seen 
durin'  my  life  in  these  seas.  If  we  pull  long  together, 
lad,  I'll  tell  you  more  ;  and  if  times  have  not  changed 
very  much  since  I  was  here  last,  it's  like  that  you'll  have 
a  chance  o'  seeing  a  little  for  yourself  before  long." 


16 


242  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  SANDAL-WOOD  PARTY  —  NATIVE  CHILDREN'S  GAMES,  SOME- 
WHAT SURPRISING  —  DESPERATE  AMUSEMENTS  SUDDENLY  AND 
FATALLY  BROUGHT  TO  A  CLOSE  —  AN  OLD  FRIEND  RECOGNIZED 
—  NEWS  — ROMATA'S  MAD  CONDUCT- 

NEXT  day  the  wood-cutting  party  went  ashore  again, 
and  I  accompanied  them  as  before.  During  the 
dinner  hour  I  wandered  into  the  woods  alone,  being  dis- 
inclined for  food  that  day.  I  had  not  rambled  far  when 
I  found  myself  unexpectedly  on  the  sea-shore,  having 
crossed  a  narrow  neck  of  land  which  separated  the  -native 
village  from  a  large  bay.  Here  I  found  a  party  of  the 
islanders  busy  with  one  of  their  war-canoes,  which  was 
almost  ready  for  launching.  I  stood  for  a  long  time 
watching  this  party  with  great  interest,  and  observed  that 
they  fastened  the  timbers  and  planks  to  each  other  very 
much  in  the  same  way  in  which  I  had  se§n  Jack  fasten 
those  of  our  little  boat.  But  what  surprised  me  most 
was  its  immense  length,  which  I  measured  very  carefully, 
and  found  to  be  a  hundred  feet  long ;  and  it  was  so  capa- 
cious that  it  could  have  held  three  hundred  men.  It  had 
the  unwieldy  outrigger  and  enormously  high  sternposts 
which  I  had  remarked  on  the  canoe  that  came  to  us 
while  I  was  on  the  Coral  Island.  Observing  some  boys 
playing  at  games  a  short  way  along  the  beach,  I  resolved 
to  go  and  watch  them  ;  but  as  I  turned  from  the  natives 
who  were  engaged  so  busily  and  cheerfully  at  their  work, 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  243 

I  little  thought  of  the  terrible  event  that  hung  on  the  com- 
pletion of  that  war-canoe. 

Advancing  towards  the  children,  who  were  so  numer- 
ous that  I  began  to  think  this  must  be  the  general  play- 
ground of  the  village,  I  sat  down  on  a  grassy  bank  un- 
der the  shade  of  a  plantain-tree,  to  watch  them.  And  a 
happier  or  more  noisy  crew  I  have  never  seen.  There 
were  at  least  two  hundred  of  them,  both  boys  and  girls, 
all  of  whom  were  clad  in  no  other  garments  than  their 
own  glossy  little  black  skins,  except  the  maro,  or  strip  of 
cloth  round  the  loins  of  the  boys,  and  a  very  short  petti- 
coat or  kilt  on  the  girls.  They  did  not  all  play  at  the 
same  game,  but  amused  themselves  in  different  groups. 

One  band  was  busily  engaged  in  a  game  exactly  simi- 
lar to  our  blind-man's-buff.  Another  set  were  walking 
on  stilts,  which  raised  the  children  three  feet  from  the 
ground.  They  were  very  expert  at  this  amusement,  and 
seldom  tumbled.  In  another  place  I  observed  a  group 
of  girls  standing  together,  and  apparently  enjoying  them- 
selves very  much  ;  so  I  went  up  to  see  what  they  were 
doing,  and  found  that  they  were  opening  their  eyelids 
with  their  fingers  till  their  eyes  appeared  of  an  enormous 
size,  and  then  thrusting  pieces  of  straw  between  the  up- 
per and  lower  lids,  across  the  eyeball,  to  keep  them  in 
that  position  !  This  seemed  to  me,  I  must  confess,  a 
very  foolish  as  well  as  dangerous  amusement.  Never- 
theless the  children  seemed  to  be  greatly  delighted  with 
the  hideous  faces  they  made.  I  pondered  this  subject  a 
good  deal,  and  thought  that  if  little  children  knew  how 
silly  they  seem  to  grown-up  people  when  they  make 
faces,  they  would  not  be  so  fond  of  doing  it.  In  another 
place  were  a  number  of  boys  engaged  in  flying  kites, 
and  I  could  not  help  wondering  that  some  of  the  games 


244  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

of  those  little  savages  should  be  so  like  to  our  own,  al- 
though they  had  never  seen  us  at  play.  But  the  kites 
were  different  from  ours  in  many  respects,  being  of  every 
variety  of  shape.  They  were  made  of  very  thin  cloth, 
and  the  boys  raised  them  to  a  wonderful  height  in  the 
air  by  means  of  twine  made  from  the  cocoa-nut  husk. 
Other  games  there  were,  some  of  which  showed  the  nat- 
ural depravity  of  the  hearts  of  these  poor  savages,  and 
made  me  wish  fervently  that  missionaries  might  be  sent 
out  to  them.  But  the  amusement  which  the  greatest 
number  of  the  children  of  both  sexes  seemed  to  take 
chief  delight  in,  was  swimming  and  diving  in  the  sea ; 
and  the  expertness  which  they  exhibited  was  truly  amaz- 
ing. They  seemed  to  have  two  principal  games  in  the 
water,  one  of  which  was  to  dive  off  a  sort  of  stage  which 
had  been  erected  near  a  deep  part  of  the  sea,  and  chase 
each  other  in  the  water.  Some  of  them  went  down  to 
an  extraordinary  depth ;  others  skimmed  along  the  sur- 
face, or  rolled  over  and  over  like  porpoises,  or  diving 
under  each  other,  came  up  unexpectedly  and  pulled  each 
other  down  by  a  leg  or  an  arm.  They  never  seemed  to 
tire  of  this  sport,  and,  from  the  great  heat  of  the  water 
in  the  South  Seas,  they  could  remain  in  it  nearly  all  day 
without  feeling  chilled.  Many  of  these  children  were 
almost  infants,  scarcely  able  to  walk  ;  yet  they  staggered 
down  the  beach,  flung  their  round,  fat  little  black  bodies 
fearlessly  into  deep  water,  and  struck  out  to  sea  with  as 
much  confidence  as  ducklings. 

The  other  game  to  which  I  have  referred  was  swim- 
ming in  the  surf.  But  as  this  is  an  amusement  in  which 
all  engage,  from  children  of  ten  to  gray-headed  men  of 
sixty,  and  as  I  had  an  opportunity  of  witnessing  it  in 
perfection  the  day  following,  I  shall  describe  it  more 
minutely. 


THE  'CORAL  ISLAND.  245 

I  suppose  it  was  in  honor  of  their  guest  that  this 
grand  swimming-match  was  got  up,  for  Eomata  came 
and  told  the  captain  that  they  were  going  to  engage  in  it, 
and  begged  him  to  "  come  and  see." 

"  What  sort  of  amusement  is  this  surf-swimming  ?  "  I 
inquired  of  Bill,  as  we  walked  together  to  a  part  of  the 
shore  on  which  several  thousands  of  the  natives  were 
assembled. 

"  It's  a  very  favorite  lark  with  these  'xtr'or'nary  crit- 
ters," replied  Bill,  giving  a  turn  to  the  quid  of  tobacco 
that  invariably  bulged  out  his  left  cheek.  "  Ye  see, 
Ralph,  them  fellows  take  to  the  water  as  soon  a'most  as 
they  can  walk,  an'  long  before  they  can  do  that  or  anything 
respectably,  so  that  they  are  as  much  at  home  in  the  sea 
as  on  the  land.  Well,  ye  see,  I  s'pose  they  found  swim- 
min'  for  miles  out  to  sea,  and  divin'  fathoms  deep,  wasn't 
exciting  enough,  so  they  invented  this  game  o'  swimmin' 
on  the  surf.  Each  man  and  boy,  as  you  see,  has  got  a 
short  board  or  plank,  with  which  he  swims  out  for  a  mile 
or  more  to  sea,  and  then,  gettin'  on  the  top  o'  yon  thun- 
derin'  breaker,  they  come  to  shore  on  the  top  of  it,  yel- 
lin'  and  screechin'  like  fiends.  It's  a  marvel  to  me  that 
they're  not  dashed  to  shivers  on  the  coral  reef,  for  sure 
an'  sartin  am  I  that  if  any  o'  us  tried  it,  we  wouldn't  be 
worth  the  fluke  of  a  broken  anchor  after  the  wave  fell. 
But  there  they  go  !  " 

As  he  spoke,  several  hundreds  of  the  natives,  amongst 
wThom  we  were  now  standing,  uttered  a  loud  yell,  rushed 
down  the  beach,  plunged  into  the  surf,  and  were  carried 
off  by  the  seething  foam  of  the  retreating  wave. 

At  the  point  where  we  stood,  the  encircling  coral  reef 
joined  the  shore,  so  that  the  magnificent  breakers,  which 
a  recent  stiff  breeze  had  rendered  larger  than  usual,  fell 


246  THE  COKAL  ISLAND. 

in  thunder  at  the  feet  of  the  multitudes  who  lined  the 
beach.  For  some  time  the  swimmers  continued  to  strike 
out  to  sea,  breasting  over  the  swell  like  hundreds  of 
black  seals.  Then  they  all  turned,  and,  watching  an 
approaching  billow,  mounted  its  white  crest,  and  each 
laying  his  breast  on  the  short,  flat  board,  come  rolling 
towards  the  shore,  careering  on  the  summit  of  the  mighty 
wave,  while  they  and  the  onlookers  shouted  and  yelled 
with  excitement.  Just  as  the  monster  wave  curled  in 
solemn  majesty  to  fling  its  bulky  length  upon  the  beach, 
most  of  the  swimmers  slid  back  into  the  trough  behind  ; 
others,  slipping  off  their  boards,  seized  them  in  their 
hands,  and,  plunging  through  the  watery  waste,  swam  out 
to  repeat  the  amusement ;  but  a  few,  who  seemed  to  me 
the  most  reckless,  continued  their  career  until  they  were 
launched  upon  the  beach,  and  enveloped  in  the  churning 
foam  and  spray.  One  of  these  last  came  in  on  the  crest 
of  the  wave  most  manfully,  and  landed  with  a  violent 
bound  almost  on  the  spot  where  Bill  and  I  stood.  I  saw 
by  his  peculiar  head-dress  that  he  was  the  chief  whom 
the  tribe  entertained  as  their  guest.  The  sea-water  had 
removed  nearly  all  the  paint  with  which  his  face  had 
been  covered ;  and  as  he  rose  panting  to  his  feet,  I  re- 
cognized, to  my  surprise,  the  features  of  Tararo,  my  old 
friend  of  the  Coral  Island  ! 

Tararo  at  the  same  moment  recognized  me,  and,  ad- 
vancing quickly,  took  me  round  the  neck  and  rubbed 
noses  ;  which  had  the  effect  of  transferring  a  good  deal 
of  the  moist  paint  from  his  nose  to  mine.  Then,  recol- 
lecting that  this  was  not  the  white  man's  mode  of  saluta- 
tion, he  grasped  me  by  the  hand  and  shook  it  violently. 

"  Hallo,  Ralph  ! "  cried  Bill,  in  surprise,  "  that  chap 
seems  to  have  taken  a  sudden  fancy  to  you,  or  he  must 
be  an  old  acquaintance." 


THE  COEAL  ISLAND.  247 

"  Right,  Bill,"  I  replied,  "  he  is  indeed  an  old  acquaint-^, 
ance  ; "  and  I  explained  in  a  few  words  that  he  was  the 
chie*f  whose  party  Jack  and  Peterkin  and  I  had  helped 
to  save. 

Tararo  having  thrown  away  his  surf-board,  entered 
into  an  animated  conversation  with  Bill,  pointing  fre- 
quently during  the  course  of  it  to  me ;  whereby  I  con- 
cluded he  must  be  telling  him  about  the  memorable  bat- 
tle, and  the  part  we  had  taken  in  it.  When  he  paused, 
I  begged  of  Bill  to  ask  him  about  the  woman  Avatea, 
for  I  had  some  hope  that  she  might  have  come  with  Ta- 
raro on  this  visit.  "  And  ask  him,"  said  I,  "  who  she  is, 
for  I  am  persuaded  she  is  of  a  different  race  from  the 
Feejeeans."  On  the  mention  of  her  name  the  chief 
frowned  darkly,  and  seemed  to  speak  with  much  anger. 

"  You're  right,  Ralph,"  said  Bill,  when  the  chief  had 
ceased  to  talk ;  "  she's  not  a  Feejee  girl,  but  a  Samoan. 
How  she  ever  came  to  this  place  the  chief  does  not 
very  clearly  explain,  but  he  says  she  was  taken  in  war, 
and  that  he  got  her  three  years  ago,  an'  kept  her  as  his 
daughter  ever  since.  Lucky  for  her,  poor  girl,  else  she'd 
have  been  roasted  and  eaten  like  the  rest." 

"But  why  does  Tararo  frown  and  look  so  angry?" 
said  I. 

"  Because  the  girl's  somewhat  obstinate,  like  most  o' 
the  sex,  an'  won't  marry  the  man  he  wants  her  to.  It 
seems  that  a  chief  of  some  other  island  came  on  a  visit 
to  Tararo  and  took  a  fancy  to  her,  but  she  wouldn't  have 
him  on  no  account,  bein'  already  in  love,  and  engaged  to 
a  young  chief  whom  Tararo  hates,  and  she  kicked  up 
a  desperate  shindy ;  so,  as  he  was  going  on  a  war  ex- 
pedition in  his  canoe,  he  left  her  to  think  about  it, 
sayin'  he'd  be  back  in  six  months  or  so,  when  he  hoped 


248  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

she  wouldn't  be  so  obstropolous.  This  happened  just 
a  week  ago  ;  an'  Tararo  says  that  if  she's  not  ready  to 
go,  when  the  chief  returns,  as  his  bride,  she'll  be  sent  to 
him  as  a  long  pig" 

"  As  a  long  pig !  "  I  exclaimed  in  surprise  ;  "  why,  what 
does  he  mean  by  that  ?  " 

"  He  means  somethin'  very  unpleasant,"  answered  Bill, 
with  a  frown.  "  You  see  these  blackguards  eat  men  an' 
women  just  as  readily  as  they  eat  pigs  ;  and,  as  baked 
pigs  and  baked  men  are  very  like  each  other  in  ap- 
pearance, they  call  men  long  pigs.  If  Avatea  goes  to 
this  fellow  as  a  long  pig,  it's  all  up  with  her,  poor  thing." 

"  Is  she  on  the  island  now  ?  "  I  asked  eagerly. 

"  No,  she's  at  Tararo's  island." 

"  And  where  does  it  lie  ?  " 

"  About  fifty  or  sixty  miles  to  the  south'ard  o'  this," 
returned  Bill ;  "  but  1  —  " 

At  this  moment  we  were  startled  by  the  cry  of  "  Mao  ! 
mao  !  —  a  shark  !  a  shark  !  "  which  was  immediately  fol- 
lowed by  a  shriek  that  rang  clear  and  fearfully  loud  above 
the  tumult  of  cries  that  arose  from  the  savages  in  the 
water  and  on  the  land.  We  turned  hastily  towards  the 
direction  whence  the  cry  came,  and  had  just  time  to 
observe  the  glaring  eyeballs  of  one  of  the  swimmers 
as  he  tossed  his  arms  in  the  air.  Next  instant  he  was 
pulled  under  the  waves.  A  canoe  was  instantly  launched, 
and  the  hand  of  the  drowning  man  was  caught,  but 
only  half  of  his  body  was  dragged  from  the  maw  of  the 
monster,  which  followed  the  canoe  until  the  water  be- 
came so  shallow  that  it  could  scarcely  swim.  The  crest 
of  the  next  billow  was  tinged  with  red  as  it  rolled 
towards  the  shore. 

In  most  countries  of  the  world  this  would  have  made 


THE  CORAL   ISLAND.  249 

a  deep  impression  on  the  spectators,  but  the  only  effect 
it  had  upon  these  islanders  was  to  make  them  hurry  with 
all  speed  out  of  the  sea,  lest  a  similar  fate  should  befall 
some  of  the  others  ;  but,  so  utterly  reckless  were  they  of 
human  life,  that  it  did  not  for  a  moment  suspend  the  pro- 
gress of  their  amusements.  It  is  true  the  surf-swimming 
ended  for  that  time  somewhat  abruptly,  but  they  immedi- 
ately proceeded  with  other  games.  Bill  told  me  that 
sharks  do  not  often  attack  the  surf-swimmers,  being 
frightened  away  by  the  immense  numbers  of  men  and 
boys  in  the  water,  and  by  the  shouting  and  splashing 
that  they  make.  "  But,"  said  he,  "  such  a  thing  as  you 
have  seen  just  now  don't  frighten  them  much.  They'll 
be  at  it  again  to-morrow  or  next  day,  just  as  if  there 
wasn't  a  single  shark  between  Feejee  and  IS'ova  Zembla." 

After  this  the  natives  had  a  series  of  wrestling  and 
boxing  matches  ;  and  being  men  of  immense  size  and 
muscle,  they  did  a  good  deal  of  injury  to  each  other,  es- 
pecially in  boxing,  in  which  not  only  the  lower  orders, 
but  several  of  the  chiefs  and  priests  engaged.  Each 
bout  was  very  quickly  terminated,  for  they  did  not  pre- 
tend to  a  scientific  knowledge  of  the  art,  and  wasted  no 
time  in  sparring,  but  hit  straight  out  at  each  other's 
heads,  and  their  blows  were  delivered  with  great  force. 
Frequently  one  of  the  combatants  was  knocked  down  with 
a  single  blow  ;  and  one  gigantic  fellow  hit  his  adversary 
so  severely  that  he  drove  the  skin  entirely  off  his  fore- 
head. This  feat  was  hailed  with  immense  applause  by 
the  spectators. 

During  these  exhibitions,  which  were  very  painful  to 
me,  though  I  confess  I  could  not  refrain  from  beholding 
them,  I  was  struck  writh  the  beauty  of  many  of  the  fig- 
ures and  designs  that  were  tattooed  on  the  persons  of 


250  THE   CORAL  ISLAND.      . 

the  chiefs  and  principal  men.  One  figure,  that  seemed 
to  me  very  elegant,  was  that  of  a  palm-tree  tattooed  on 
the  back  of  a  man's  leg,  the  roots  rising,  as  it  were,  from 
under  his  heel,  the  stem  ascending  the  tendon  of  the 
ankle,  and  the  graceful  head  branching  out  upon  the  calf. 
I  afterwards  learned  that  this  process  of  tattooing  is  very 
painful,  and  takes  long  to  do,  commencing  at  the  age  of 
ten,  and  being  continued  at  intervals  up  to.  the  age  of 
thirty.  It  is  done  by  means  of  an  instrument  made  of 
bone,  with  a  number  of  sharp  teeth  with  which  the  skin 
is  punctured.  Into  these  punctures  a  preparation  made 
from  the  kernel  of  the  candle-nut,  mixed  with  cocoa-nut 
oil,  is  rubbed,  and  the  mark  thus  made  is  indelible.  The 
operation  is  performed  by  a  class  of  men  whose  profession 
it  is,  and  they  tattoo  as  much  at  a  time  as  the  person  on 
whom  they  are  operating  can  bear ;  which  is  not  much, 
the  pain  and  inflammation  caused  by  tattooing  being  very 
great,  sometimes  causing  death.  Some  of  the  chiefs  were 
tattooed  with  an  ornamental  stripe  down  the  legs,  which 
gave  them  the  appearance  of  being  clad  in  tights.  Others 
had  marks  round  the  ankles  and  insteps,  which  looked 
like  tight-fitting  and  elegant  boots.  Their  faces  were 
also  tattooed,  and  their  breasts  were  very  profusely 
marked  with  every  imaginable  species  of  device, — 
muskets,  dogs,  birds,  pigs,  clubs,  and  canoes,  intermin- 
gled with  lozenges,  squares,  circles,  and  other  arbitrary 
figures. 

The  women  were  not  tattooed  so  much  as  the  men, 
having  only  a  few  marks  on  their  feet  and  arms.  But 
I  must  say,  however  objectionable  this  Strang*  practice 
may  be,  it  nevertheless  had  this  good  effect,  that  it 
took  away  very  much  from  their  appearance  of  naked- 
ness. 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  251 

Next  day,  while  we  were  returning  from  the  woods 
to  our  schooner,  we  observed  Romata  rushing  about  in 
the  neighborhood  of  his  house,  apparently  mad  with 
passion. 

"  Ah  ! "  said  Bill  to  me,  "  there  he's  at  his  old  tricks 
again.  That's  his  way  when  he  gets  drink.  The  natives 
make  a  sort  of  drink  o'  their  own,  and  it  makes  him  bad 
enough  ;  but  when  he  gets  brandy  he's  like  a  wild  tiger. 
The  captain,  I  suppose,  has  given  him  a  bottle,  as  usual, 
to  keep  him  in  good  humor.  After  drinkin'  he  usually 
goes  to  sleep,  and  the  people  know  it  well  and  keep 
out  of  his  way,  for  fear  they  should  waken  him.  Even 
the  babies  are  taken  out  of  ear-shot ;  for,  when  he's 
waked  up,  he  rushes  out  just  as  you  see  him  now,  and 
spears  or  clubs  the  first  person  he  meets." 

It  seemed  at  the  present  time,  however,  that  no  deadly 
weapon  had  been  in  his  way,  for  the  infuriated  chief 
was  raging  about  without  one.  Suddenly  he  caught  sight 
of  an  unfortunate  man  who  was  trying  to  conceal  himself 
behind  a  tree.  Rushing  towards  him,  Romata  struck 
him  a  terrible  blow  on  the  head,  which  knocked  out  the 
poor  man's  eye  and  also  dislocated  the  chief's  finger. 
The  wretched  creature  offered  no  resistance ;  he  did 
not  even  attempt  to  parry  the  blow.  Indeed,  from  what 
Bill  said,  I  found  that  he  might  consider  himself  lucky  in 
having  escaped  with  his  life,  which  would  certainly  have 
been  forfeited  had  the  chief  been  possessed  of  a  club  at 
the  time. 

"  Have  these  wretched  creatures  no  law  among  them- 
selves," said  I,  "  which  can  restrain  such  wickedness  ?  " 

"  None,"  replied  Bill.  "  The  chief's  word  is  law.  He 
might  kill  and  eat  a  dozen  of  his  own  subjects  any  day 
for  nothing  more  than  his  own  pleasure,  and  nobody  would 
take  the  least  notice  of  it." 


252  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

This  ferocious  deed  took  place  within  sight  of  our 
party  as  we  wended  our  way  to  the  beach,  but  I  could 
not  observe  any  other  expression  on  the  faces  of  the  men 
than  that  of  total  indifference  or  contempt.  It  seemed  to 
me  a  very  awful  thing  that  it  should  be  possible  for  men 
to  come  to  such  hardness  of  heart  and  callousness  to  the 
sight  of  bloodshed  and  violence  ;  but,  indeed,  I  began  to 
find  that  such  constant  exposure  to  scenes  of  blood  was 
having  a  slight  effect  upon  myself,  ancTI  shuddered  when 
I  came  to  think  that  I,  too,  was  becoming  callous. 

I  thought  upon  this  subject  much  that  night  while  I 
walked  up  and  down  the  deck  during  my  hours  of  watch ; 
and  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  if  I  who  hated,  abhor- 
red, and  detested  such  bloody  deeds  as  I  had  witnessed 
within  the  last  few  weeks,  could  so  soon  come  to  be  less 
sensitive  about  them,  how  little  wonder  that  these  poor 
ignorant  savages,  who  were  born  and  bred  in  familiarity 
therewith,  should  think  nothing  of  them  at  all,  and  should 
hold  human  life  in  so  very  slight  esteem. 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  253 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

MISCHIEF  BREWING  — MY  BLOOD  IS  MADE  TO  RUN  COLD  — EYTL 
CONSULTATIONS  AND  WICKED  RESOLVES  —  BLOODY  BILL  AT- 
TEMPTS TO  DO  GOOD  AND  FAILS  — THE  ATTACK  —  WHOLESALE 
MURDER  — THE  FLIGHT  — THE  ESCAPE. 

NEXT  morning  I  awoke  with  a  feverish  brow  and 
a  feeling  of  deep  depression  at  my  heart ;  and  the 
more  I  thought  on  my  unhappy  fate,  the  more  wretched 
and  miserable  did  I  feel. 

I  was  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  human  beings  of  the 
most  dreadful  character,  to  whom  the  shedding  of  blood 
was  mere  pastime.  On  shore  were  the  natives,  whose 
practices  were  so  horrible  that  I  could  not  think  of  them 
without  shuddering.  On  board  were  none  but  pirates  of 
the  blackest  dye,  who,  although  not  cannibals,  were  foul 
murderers,  and  more  blameworthy  even  than  the  savages, 
inasmuch  as  they  knew  better.  Even  Bill,  with  whom  I 
had,  under  the  strange  circumstances  of  my  lot,  formed  a 
kind  of  intimacy,  was  so  fierce  in  his  nature  as  to  have 
acquired  the  title  of  "  Bloody  "  from  his  vile  companions.. 
I  felt  very  much  cast  down  the  more  I  considered  the  sub- 
ject and  the  impossibility  of  delivery,  as  it  seemed  to  me, 
at  least  for  a  long  time  to  come.  At  last,  in  my  feeling 
of  utter  helplessness,  I  prayed  fervently  to  the  Almighty 
that  he  would  deliver  me  out  of  my  miserable  condition  ; 
and  when  I  had  done  so  I  felt  some  degree  of  comfort. 

When  the  captain  came  on  deck,  before  the  hour  at 
which  the  men  usually  started  for  the  woods,  I  begged  of 


254  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

him  to  permit  me  to  remain  aboard  that  day,  as  I  did 
not  feel  well ;  but  he  looked  at  me  angrily,  and  ordered 
me,  in  a  surly  tone,  to  get  ready  to  go  on  shore  as  usual. 
The  fact  was  that  the  captain  had  been  out  of  humor  for 
some  time  past.  Romata  and  he  had  had  some  differ- 
ences, and  high  words  had  passed  between  them,  during 
which  the  chief  had  threatened  to  send  a  fleet  of  his  war- 
canoes,  with  a  thousand  men,  to  break  up  and  burn  the 
schooner ;  whereupon  the  captain  smiled  sarcastically,  and 
going  up  to  the  chief  gazed  sternly  in  his  face,  while  he 
said,  "  I  have  only  to  raise  my  little  finger  just  now,  and 
my  big  gun  will  blow  your  whole  village  to  atoms  in  five 
minutes  !"  Although  the  chief  was  a  bold  man,  he  quailed 
before  the  pirate's  glance  and  threat,  and  made  no  reply ; 
but  a  bad  feeling  had  been  raised  and  old  sores  had  been 
opened. 

I  had,  therefore,  to  go  with  the  wood-cutters  that  day. 
Before  starting,  however,  the  captain  called  me  into  the 
cabin,  and  said,  — 

"  Here,  Ralph,  I've  got  a  mission  for  you,  lad.  That 
blackguard  Romata  is  in  the  dumps,  and  nothing  will 
mollify  him  but  a  gift ;  so  do  you  go  up  to  his  house 
and  give  him  these  whales'  teeth,  with  my  compliments. 
Take  with  you  one  of  the  men  who  can  speak  the  lan- 
guage." 

I  looked  at  the  gift  in  some  surprise,  for  it  consisted  of 
six  white  whales'  teeth,  and  two  of  the  same  dyed  bright 
red,  which  seemed  to  me  very  paltry  things.  However, 
I  did  not  dare  to  hesitate  or  ask  any  questions  ;  so,  gath- 
ering them  up,  I  left  the  cabin  and  was  soon  on  my  way 
to  the  chiefs  house,  accompanied  by  Bill.  On  express- 
ing my  surprise  at  the  gift,  he  said,  — 

"  They're  paltry  enough  to   you  or  me,   Ralph,  but 


THE  COEAL  ISLAND.  255 

they're  considered  of  great  value  by  them  chaps.  They're 
a  sort  o'  cash  among  them.  The  red  ones  are  the  most 
prized,  one  of  them  bein'  equal  to  twenty  o'  the  white 
ones.  I  suppose  the  only  reason  for  their  bein'  valuable 
is  that  there  ain't  many  of  them,  and  they're  hard  to 
be  got." 

On  arriving  at  the  house  we  found  Romata  sitting  on 
a  mat,  in  the  midst  of  a  number  of  large  bales  of  native 
cloth  and  other  articles,  which  had  been  brought  to  him 
as  presents  from  time  to  time  by  inferior  chiefs.  He 
received  us  rather  haughtily,  but  on  Bill  explaining  the 
nature  of  our  errand  he  became  very  condescending,  and 
his  eyes  glistened  with  satisfaction  when  he  received  the 
whales'  teeth,  although  he  laid  them  aside  with  an  as- 
sumption of  kingly  indifference. 

"  Go,"  said  he,  with  a  wave  of  the  hand,  —  "  go,  tell 
your  captain  that  he  may  cut  wood  to-day,  but  not  to- 
morrow. He  must  come  ashore,  —  I  want  to  have  a 
palaver  with  him." 

As  we  left  the  house  to  return  to  the  woods,  Bill  shook 
his  head  :  — 

"  There's  mischief  brewin'  in  that  black  rascal's  head. 
I  know  him  of  old.     But  what  comes  here  ?" 

As  he  spoke,  we  heard  the  sound  of  laughter  and 
shouting  in  the  wood,  and  presently  there  issued  from  it 
a  band  of  savages,  in  the  midst  of  whom  were  a  number 
of  men  bearing  burdens  on  their  shoulders.  At  first  I 
thought  that  these  burdens  were  poles  with  something 
rolled  round  them,  the  end  of  each  pole  resting  on  a 
man's  shoulder.  But  on  a  nearer  approach  I  saw  that 
they  were  human  beings,  tied  hand  and  foot,  and  so 
lashed  to  the  poles  that  they  could  not  move.  I  counted 
twenty  of  them  as  they  passed. 


256  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

"  More  murder ! "  said  Bill,  in  a  voice  that  sounded 
between  a  hoarse  laugh  and  a  groan. 

"  Surely  they  are  not  going  to  murder  them  ?"  said  I, 
looking  anxiously  into  Bill's  face. 

"  I  don't  know,  Halph,"  replied  Bill,  "  what  they're 
goin'  to  do  with  them  ;  but  I  fear  they  mean  no  good 
when  they  tie  fellows  up  in  that  way."  .     . 

As  we  continued  our  way  towards  the  wood-cutters,  I 
observed  that  Bill  looked  anxiously  over  his  shoulder,  in 
the  direction  where  the  procession  had  disappeared.  At 
last  he  stopped,  and  turning  abruptly  on  his  heel,  said, — 

"  I  tell  ye  what  it  is,  Ralph,  I  must  be  at  the  bottom  o' 
that  affair.  Let  us  follow  these  black  scoundrels  and  see 
what  they're  goin'  to  do." 

I  must  say  I  had  no  wish  to  pry  further  into  their 
bloody  practices  ;  but  Bill  seemed  bent  on  it,  so  I  turned 
and  went.  We  passed  rapidly  through  the  bush,  being 
guided  in  the  right  direction  by  the  shouts  of  the  sav- 
ages. Suddenly  there  was  a  dead  silence,  which  contin- 
ued for  some  time,  while  Bill  and  I  involuntarily  quick- 
ened our  pace  until  we  were  running  at  the  top  of  our 
speed  across  the  narrow  neck  of  land  previously  men- 
tioned. As  we  reached  the  verge  of  the  wood,  we  dis- 
covered the  savages  surrounding  the  large  war-canoe, 
which  they  were  apparently  on  the  point  of  launching. 
Suddenly  the  multitude  put  their  united  strength  to  the 
canoe;  but  scarcely  had  the  huge  machine  begun  to  move, 
when  a  yell,  the  most  appalling  that  ever  fell  upon  my 
ear,  rose  high  above  the  shouting  of  the  savages.  It  had 
not  died  away  when  another  and  another  smote  upon  my 
throbbing  ear ;  and  then  I  saw  that  these  inhuman  mon- 
sters were  actually  launching  their  canoe  over  the  living 
bodies  of  their  victims.     But  there  was  no  pity  in  the 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  257 

breasts  of  these  men.  Forward  they  went  in  ruthless 
indifference,  shouting  as  they  went,  while  high  above 
their  voices  rang  the  dying  shrieks  of  those  wretched 
creatures,  as  one  after  another,  the  ponderous  canoe 
passed  over  them,  burst  the  eyeballs  from  their  sockets, 
and  sent  the  life's  blood  gushing  from  their  mouths.  Oh, 
reader,  this  is  no  fiction.  I  would  not,  for  the  sake  of 
thrilling  you  with  horror,  invent  so  terrible  a  scene.  It 
was  witnessed.  It  is  true  ;  true  as  that  accursed  sin 
which  has  rendered  the  human  heart  capable  of  such 
diabolical  enormities  ! 

When  it  was  over  I  turned  round  and  fell  upon  the 
grass  with  a  deep  groan  ;  but  Bill  seized  me  by  the  arm, 
and  lifting  me  up  as  if  I  had  been  a  child,  cried,  — 

"  Come  along,  lad  ;  let's  away  !  "  —  and  so,  staggering 
and  stumbling  over  the  tangled  underwood,  we  fled  from 
the  fatal  spot. 

During  the  remainder  of  that  day  I  felt  as  if  I  were 
in  a  horrible  dream.  I  scarce  knew  what  was  said  to  me, 
and  was  more  than  once  blamed  by  the  men  for  idling 
my  time.  At  last  the  hour  to  return  aboard  came. 
We  marched  down  to  the  beach,  and  I  felt  relief  for 
the  first  time  when  my  feet  rested  on  the  schooner's 
deck. 

In  the  course  of  the  evening  I  overheard  part  of  a 
conversation  between  the  captain  and  the  first  mate, 
which  startled  me  not  a  little.  They  were  down  in 
the  cabin,  and  conversed  in  an  undertone,  but  the 
skylight  being  off,  I  overheard  every  word  that  was 
said. 

"  I  don't  half  like  it,"  said  the  mate.  "  It  seems  to 
me  that  we'll  only  have  hard  fightin'  and  no  pay." 

"  No  pay !  "  repeated  the  captain,  in  a  voice  of  sup- 
17 


258  THE    CORAL  ISLAND. 

pressed  anger.  "  Do  you  call  a  good  cargo  all  for  nothing 
no  pay  ?  " 

"Very  true,"  returned  the  mate;  "but  we've  got 
the  cargo  aboard.  Why  not  cut  your  cable  and  take 
French  leave  o'  them  ?  What's  the  use  o'  tryin'  to  lick 
the  blackguards  when  it  '11  do  us  no  manner  o'  good  ?  " 

"  Mate,"  said  the  captain,  in  a  low  voice,  "  you  talk 
like  a  freshwater  sailor.  I  can  only  attribute  this  shy- 
ness to  some  strange  delusion;  for  surely,"  (his  voice  as- 
sumed a  slightly  sneering  tone  as  he  said  this,)  "  surely 
I  am  not  to  suppose  that  you  have  become  soft-hearted ! 
Besides,  you  are  wrong  in  regard  to  the  cargo  being 
aboard ;  there's  a  good  quarter  of  it  lying  in  the  woods, 
and  that  blackguard  chief  knows  it  and  wont  let  me 
take  it  off.     He  defied  us  to  do  our  worst,  yesterday." 

"  Defied  us  !  did  he  ?  "  cried  the  mate,  with  a  bitter 
laugh.     "  Poor  contemptible  thing !  " 

"  And  yet  he  seems  not  so  contemptible  but  that  you 
are  afraid  to  attack  him." 

"  Who  said  I  was  afraid  ?  "  growled  the  mate,  sulkily. 
"  I'm  as  ready  as  any  man  in  the  ship.  But,  captain, 
what  is  it  that  you  intend  to  do  ?  " 

"  I  intend  to  muffle  the  sweeps  and  row  the  schooner 
up  to  the  head  of  the  creek  there,  from  which  point  we 
can  command  the  pile  of  sandal-wood  with  our  gun. 
Then  I  shall  land  with  all  the  men  except  two,  who  shall 
take  care  of  the  schooner  and  be  ready  with  the  boat  to 
take  us  off.  We  can  creep  through  the  woods  to  the 
head  of  the  village,  where  these  cannibals  are  always 
dancing  round  their  suppers  of  human  flesh,  and  if  the 
carbines  of  the  men  are  loaded  with  a  heavy  charge  of 
buck-shot,  we  can  drop  forty  or  fifty  at  the  first  volley. 
After  that  the  thing  will  be  easy  enough.     The  savages 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  259 

will  take  to  the  mountains  in  a  body,  and  we  shall  take 
what  we  require,  up  anchor,  and  away." 

To  this  plan  the  mate  at  length  agreed.  As  he  left 
the  cabin  I  heard  the  captain  say,  — 

"  Give  the  men  an  extra  glass  of  grog,  and  don't  forget 
the  buck-shot." 

The  reader  may  conceive  the  horror  with  which  I 
heard  this  murderous  conversation.  I  immediately  re- 
peated it  to  Bill,  who  seemed  much  perplexed  about  it. 
At  length  he  said,  — 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do,  Ralph ;  I'll  swim  ashore 
after  dark  and  fix  a  musket  to  a  tree  not  far  from  the 
place  where  we'll  have  to  land,  and  I'll  tie  a  long  string 
to  the  trigger,  so  that  when  our  fellows  cross  it  they'll  let 
it  off,  and  so  alarm  the  village  in  time  to  prevent  an 
attack,  but  not  in  time  to  prevent  us  gettin'  back  to  the 
boat ;  so,  master  captain,"  added  Bill  with  a  smile  that 
for  the  first  time  seemed  to  me  to  be  mingled  with  good- 
natured  cheerfulness,  "  you'll  be  balked  at  least  for  once 
in  your  life  by  Bloody  Bill." 

After  it  grew  dark,  Bill  put  this  resolve  in  practice. 
He  slipped  over  the  side  with  a  musket  in  his  left  hand, 
while  with  his  right  he  swam  ashore  and  entered  the 
woods.  He  soon  returned,  having  accomplished  his  pur- 
pose, and  got  on  board  without  being  seen,  —  I  being  the 
only  one  on  deck. 

When  the  hour  of  midnight  approached,  the  men  were 
mustered  on  deck,  the  cable  was  cut,  and  the  muffled 
sweeps  got  out.  These  sweeps  were  immensely  large 
oars,  each  requiring  a  couple  of  men  to  work  it.  In  a 
few  minutes  we  entered  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  which 
was  indeed  the  mouth  of  a  small  river,  and  took  about 
half  an  hour  to  ascend  it,  although  the  spot  where  we 


260  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

intended  to  land  was  not  more  than  six  hundred  yards 
from  the  mouth,  because  there  was  a  slight  current 
against  us,  and  the  mangroves  which  narrowed  the  creek, 
impeded  the  rowers  in  some  places.  Having  reached 
the  spot,  which  was  so  darkened  by  overhanging  trees 
that  we  could  see  with  difficulty,  a  small  kedge  anchor 
attached  to  a  thin  line  was  let  softly  down  over  the 
stern. 

"  Now,  lads,"  whispered  the  captain,  as  he  walked 
along  the  line  of  men,  who  were  all  armed  to  the  teeth, 
"don't  be  in  a  hurry,  aim  low,  and  don't  waste  your 
first  shots." 

He  then  pointed  to  the  boat,  into  which  the  men 
crowded  in  silence.  There  was  no  room  to  row,  but  oars 
were  not  needed,  as  a  slight  push  against  the  side  of  the 
schooner  sent  the  boat  gliding  to  the  shore. 

"  There's  no  need  of  leaving  two  in  the  boat,"  whis- 
pered the  mate,  as  the  men  stepped  out ;  "  we  shall  want 
all  our  hands.     Let  Ralph  stay." 

The  captain  assented,  and  ordered  me  to  stand  in  read- 
iness with  the  boat-hook,  to  shove  ashore  at  a  moment's 
notice  if  they  should  return,  or  to  shove  off  if  any  of 
the  savages  should  happen  to  approach.  He  then  threw 
his  carbine  into  the  hollow  of  his  arm  and  glided  through 
the  bushes  followed  by  his  men.  With  a  throbbing  heart 
I  awaited  the  result  of  our  plan.  I  knew  the  exact 
locality  where  the  musket  was  placed,  for  Bill  had  de- 
scribed it  to  me,  and  I  kept  my  straining  eyes  fixed  upon 
the  spot.  But  no  sound  came,  and  I  began  to  fear  that 
either  they  had  gone  in  another  direction  or  that  Bill  had 
not  fixed  the  string  properly.  Suddenly  I  heard  a  faint 
click,  and  observed  one  or  two  bright  sparks  among  the 
bushes.     My  heart  immediately  sank  within  me,  for  I 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  261 

knew  at  once  that  the  trigger  had  indeed  been  pulled  but 
that  the  priming  had  not  caught.  The  plan,  therefore, 
had  utterly  failed.  A  feeling  of  dread  now  began  to 
creep  over  me  as  I  stood  in  the  boat,  in  that  dark,  silent 
spot,  awaiting  the  issue  of  this  murderous  expedition.  I 
shuddered  as  I  glanced  at  the  water  that  glided  past  like 
a  dark  reptile.  I  looked  back  at  the  schooner,  but  her 
hull  was  just  barely  visible,  while  her  tapering  masts 
were  lost  among  the  trees  which  overshadowed  her.  Her 
lower  sails  were  set,  but  so  thick  was  the  gloom  that  they 
were  quite  invisible. 

Suddenly  I  heard  a  shot.  In  a  moment  a  thousand 
voices  raised  a  yell  in  the  village  ;  again  the  cry  rose  on 
the  night  air,  and  was  followed  by  broken  shouts  as  of 
scattered  parties  of  men  bounding  into  the  woods.  Then 
I  heard  another  shout  loud  and  close  at  hand.  It  was 
the  voice  of  the  captain  cursing  the  man  who  had  fired 
the  premature  shot.  Then  came  the  order,  "  Forward," 
followed  by  the  wild  hurrah  of  our  men,  as  they  charged 
the  savages.  Shots  now  rang  in  quick  succession,  and  at 
last  a  loud  volley  startled  the  echoes  of  the  woods.  It 
was  followed  by  a  multitude  of  wild  shrieks,  which  were 
immediately  drowned  in  another  "hurrah  "  from  the  men  ; 
the  distance  of  the  sound  proving  that  they  were  driving 
their  enemies  before  them  towards  the  sea. 

While  I  was  listening  intently  to  these  sounds,  which 
were  now  mingled  in  confusion,  I  was  startled  by  the 
rustling  of  the  leaves  not  far  from  me.  At  first  I 
thought  it  was  a  party  of  savages  who  had  observed  the 
schooner,  but  I  was  speedily  undeceived  by  observing  a 
body  of  natives  —  apparently  several  hundreds,  as  far  as 
I  could  guess  in  the  uncertain  light  —  bounding  through 
the  woods  towards  the  scene  of  battle.     I  saw  at  once 


262  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

that  this  was  a  party  who  had  outflanked  our  men,  and 
would  speedily  attack  them  in  the  rear.  And  so  it  turned 
out,  for,  in  a  short  time,  the  shouts  increased  tenfold,  and 
among  them  I  thought  I  heard  a  death-cry  uttered  by 
voices  familiar  to  my  ear. 

At  length  the  tumult  of  battle  ceased,  and,  from  the 
cries  of  exultation  that  now  arose  from  the  savages,  I 
felt  assured  that  our  men  had  been  conquered.  I  was 
immediately  thrown  into  dreadful  consternation.  What 
was  I  now  to  do  ?  To  be  taken  by  the  savages  was  too 
horrible  to  be  thought  of;  to  flee  to  the  mountains  was 
hopeless,  as  I  should  soon  be  discovered ;  and  to  take  the 
schooner  out  of  the  creek  without  assistance  was  impos- 
sible. I  resolved,  however,  to  make  the  attempt,  as  be- 
ing my  only  hope,  and  was  on  the  point  of  pushing  off, 
when  my  hand  was  stayed  and  my  blood  chilled  by  an 
appalling  shriek  in  which  I  recognized  the  voice  of  one 
of  the  crew.  It  was  succeeded  by  a  shout  from  the  sav- 
ages. Then  came  another  and  another  shriek  of  agony, 
making  my  ears  to  tingle,  as  I  felt  convinced  they  were 
murdering  the  pirate  crew  in  cold  blood.  With  a  burst- 
ing heart  and  my  brain  whirling  as  if  on  fire,  I  seized 
the  boat-hook  to  push  from  shore  when  a  man  sprang 
from  the  bushes. 

"  Stop  !  Ralph,  stop !  —  there  now,  push  off,"  he  cried, 
and  bounded  into  the  boat  so  violently  as  nearly  to  upset 
her.  It  was  Bill's  voice.  In  another  moment  we  were 
on  board,  —  the  boat  made  fast,  the  line  of  the  anchor 
cut,  and  the  sweeps  run  out.  At  the  first  stroke  of  Bill's 
giant  arm  the  schooner  was  nearly  pulled  ashore,  for  in 
his  haste  he  forgot  that  I  could  scarcely  move  the  un- 
wieldy oar.  Springing  to  the  stern  he  lashed  the  rudder 
in  such  a  position  as  that  while  it  aided  me,  it  acted 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  263 

against  him,  and  so  rendered  the  force  of  our  strokes 
nearly  equal.  The  schooner  now  began  to  glide  quickly 
down  the  creek,  but  before  we  reached  its  mouth,  a  yell 
from  a  thousand  voices  on  the  bank  told  that  we  were 
discovered.  Instantly  a  number  of  the  savages  plunged 
into  the  water  and  swam  towards  us ;  but  we  were  mak- 
ing so  much  way  that  they  could  not  overtake  us.  One, 
however,  an  immensely  powerful  man,  succeeded  in  lay- 
ing hold  of  the  cut  rope  that  hung  from  the  stern,  and 
clambered  quickly  upon  deck.  Bill  caught  sight  of  him 
the  instant  his  head  appeared  above  the  taffrail.  But 
he  did  not  cease  to  row,  and  did  not  appear  even  to  no- 
tice the  savage  until  he  was  within  a  yard  of  him  ;  then, 
dropping  the  sweep,  he  struck  him  a  blow  on  the  fore- 
head with  his  clenched  fist  that  felled  him  to  the  deck. 
Lifting  him  up,  he  hurled  him  overboard,  and  resumed 
the  oar.  But  now  a  greater  danger  awaited  us,  for  the 
savages  had  outrun  us  on^the  bank  and  were  about  to 
plunge  into  the  water  ahead  of  the  schooner.  If  they 
succeeded  in  doing  so,  our  fate  was  sealed.  For  one  mo- 
ment Bill  stood  irresolute.  Then,  drawing  a  pistol  from 
his  belt,  he  sprang  to  the  brass  gun,  held  the  pan  of  his 
pistol  over  the  touch-hole,  and  fired.  The  shot  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  hiss  of  the  cannon's  priming,  then  the 
blaze  and  the  crashing  thunder  of  the  monstrous  gun 
burst  upon  the  savages  with  such  deafening  roar  that  it 
seemed  as  if  their  very  mountains  had  been  rent  asunder. 
This  was  enough.  The  moment  of  surprise  and  hesi- 
tation caused  by  the  unwonted  sound,  gave  us  time  to 
pass  the  point ;  a  gentle  breeze,  which  the  dense  foliage 
had  hitherto  prevented  us  from  feeling,  bulged  out  our 
sails ;  the  schooner  bent  before  it,  and  the  shouts  of  the 
disappointed  savages  grew  fainter  and  fainter  in  the  dis- 
tance as  we  were  slowly  wafted  out  to  sea. 


2G4  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

REFLECTIONS  —  THE  WOUNDED  MAN  — THE   SQUALL  — TRUE  CONSO- 
LATION—DEATH. 

• 

THERE  is  a  power  of  endurance  in  human  beings, 
both  in  their  bodies  and  in  their  minds,  which,  I 
have  often  thought,  seems  to  be  wonderfully  adapted  and 
exactly  proportioned  to  the  circumstances  in  which  indi- 
viduals may  happen  to  be  placed,  —  a  power  which,  in 
most  cases,  is  sufficient  to  carry  a  man  through  and  over 
every  obstacle  that  may  happen  to  be  thrown  in  his  path 
through  life,  no  matter  how  high  or  how  steep  the  moun- 
tain may  be,  but  which  often  forsakes  him  the  moment 
the  summit  is  gained,  the  point  of  difficulty  passed ;  and 
leaves  him  prostrated,  with  energies  gone,  nerves  un- 
strung, and  a  feeling  of  incapacity  pervading  the  entire 
frame  that  renders  the  most  trifling  effort  almost  impossi- 
ble. 

During  the  greater  part  of  that  day  I  had  been  sub- 
jected to  severe  mental  and  much  physical  excitement, 
which  had  almost  crushed  me  down  by  the  time  I  was 
relieved  from  duty  in  the  course  of  the  evening.  But 
when  the  expedition,  whose  failure  has  just  been  nar- 
rated was  planned,  my  anxieties  and  energies  had  been 
so  powerfully  aroused  that  I  went  through  the  protracted 
scenes  of  that  terrible  night  without  a  feeling  of  the 
slightest  fatigue.  My  mind  and  body  were  alike  active 
and  full  of  energy.     No  sooner  was  the  last  thrilling  fear 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  265 

of  danger  past,  however,  than  my  faculties  were  utterly 
relaxed ;  and,  when  I  felt  the  cool  breezes  of  the  Pacific 
playing  around  my  fevered  brow,  and  heard  the  free 
waves  rippling  at  the  schooner's  prow,  as  we  left  the 
hated  island  behind  us,  my  senses  forsook  me,  and  I  fell 
in  a  swoon  upon  the  deck. 

From  this  state  I  was  quickly  aroused  by  Bill,  who 
shook  me  by  the  arm,  saying,  — 

"  Hallo  !  Ralph,  boy,  rouse  up,  lad,  we're  safe  now. 
Poor  thing,  I  believe  he's  fainted."  And  raising  me 
in  his  arms,  he  laid  me  on  the  folds  of  the  gaff-topsail, 
which  lay  upon  the  deck  near  the  tiller.  "  Here,  take  a 
drop  o'  this,  it'll  do  you  good,  my  boy,"  he  added,  in  a 
voice  of  tenderness  which  I  had  never  heard  him  use  be- 
fore, while  he  held  a  brandy-flask  to  my  lips. 

I  raised  my  eyes  gratefully,  as  I  swallowed  a  mouth- 
ful ;  next  moment  my  head  sank  heavily  upon  my  arm, 
and  I  fell  fast  asleep.  I  slept  long,  for  when  I  awoke 
the  sun  was  a  good  way  above  the  horizon.  I  did  not 
move  on  first  opening  my  eyes,  as  I  felt  a  delightful  sen- 
sation of  rest  pervading  me,  and  my  eyes  were  riveted 
on  and  charmed  with  the  gorgeous  splendor  of  the 
mighty  ocean,  that  burst  upon  my  sight.  It  was  a  dead 
calm ;  the  sea  seemed  a  sheet  of  undulating  crystal, 
tipped  and  streaked  with  the  saffron  hues  of  sunrise, 
which  had  not  yet  merged  into  the  glowing  heat  of  noon ; 
and  there  was  a  deep  calm  in  the  blue  dome  above,  that 
was  not  broken  even  by  the  usual  flutter  of  the  sea-fowl. 
How  long  I  would  have  lain  in  contemplation  of  this 
peaceful  scene  I  know  not,  but  my  mind  was  recalled 
suddenly  and  painfully  to  the  past  and  the  present  by  the 
sight  of  Bill,  who  was  seated  on  the  deck  at  my  feet, 
with  his  head  reclining,  as  if  in  sleep,  on  his  right  arm, 


266  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

which  rested  on  the  tiller.  As  he  seemed  to  rest  peace- 
fully, I  did  not  mean  to  disturb  him,  but  the  slight  noise 
I  made  in  raising  myself  on  my  elbow,  ■  caused  him  to 
start  and  look  round. 

"  Well,  Ralph,  awake  at  last,  my  boy ;  you  have  slept 
long  and  soundly,"  he  said,  turning  towards  me. 

On  beholding  his  countenance  I  sprang  up  in  anxiety. 
He  was  deadly  pale,  and  his  hair,  which  hung  in  di- 
shevelled locks  over  his  face,  was  clotted  with  blood. 
Blood  also  stained  his  hollow  cheeks  and  covered  the 
front  of  his  shirt,  which,  with  the  greater  part  of  his  dress, 
was  torn  and  soiled  with  mud. 

"  Oh,  Bill ! "  said  I  with  deep  anxiety,  "  what  is  the 
matter  with  you  ?  You  are  ill.  You  must  have  been 
wounded." 

"  Even  so,  lad,"  said  Bill,  in  a  deep  soft  voice,  while  he 
extended  his  huge  frame  on  the  couch  from  which  I 
had  just  risen.  "I've  got  an  ugly  wound,  I  fear,  and 
I've  been  waiting  for  you  to  waken,  to  ask  you  to  get 
me  a  drop  o'  brandy  and  a  mouthful  o'  bread  from  the 
cabin  lockers.  You  seemed  to  sleep  so  sweetly,  Ralph, 
that  I  didn't  like  to  disturb  you.  But  I  don't  feel  up 
to  much  just  now." 

I  did  not  wait  till  he  had  done  talking,  but  ran  below 
immediately,  and  returned  in  a  few  seconds  with  a  bottle 
of  brandy  and  some  broken  biscuit.  He  seemed  much 
refreshed  after  eating  a  few  morsels  and  drinking  a  long 
draught  of  water  mingled  with  a  little  spirits.  Immedi- 
ately afterwards  he  fell  asleep,  and  I  watched  him  anx- 
iously until  he  awoke,  being  desirous  of  knowing  the  na- 
ture and  extent  of  his  wound. 

"  Ha ! "  he  exclaimed,  on  awaking  suddenly,  after  a 
slumber  of  an  hour,  "  I'm  the  better  of  that  nap,  Ralph ; 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  267 

I  feel  twice  the  man  I  was ;  "  and  he  attempted  to  rise, 
but  sank  back  again  immediately  with  a  deep  groan. 

"  Nay,  Bill,  you  must  not  move,  but  lie  still  while  I 
look  at  your  wound.  I'll  make  a  comfortable  bed  for 
you  here  on  deck,  and  get  you  some  breakfast.  After 
that  you  shall  tell  me  how  you  got  it.  Cheer  up,  Bill,"  I 
added,  seeing  that  he  turned  his  head  away ;  "  you'll  be 
all  right  in  a  little,  and  I'll  be  a  capital  nurse  to  you 
though  I'm  no  doctor." 

I  then  left  him,  and  lighted  a  fire  in  the  caboose. 
While  it  was  kindling,  I  went  to  the  steward's  pantry  and 
procured  the  materials  for  a  good  breakfast,  with  which, 
in  little  more  than  half  an  hour,  I  returned  to  my  com- 
panion. He  seemed  much  better,  and  smiled  kindly  on 
me  as  I  set  before  him  a  cup  of  coffee  and  a  tray  with 
several  eggs  and  some  bread  on  it, 

"  Now  then,  Bill,"  said  I,  cheerfully,  sitting  down  be- 
side him  on  the  deck,  "  let's  fall  to.  I'm  very  hungry 
myself,  I  can  tell  you;  but  —  I  forgot  —  your  wound," 
I  added,  rising  ;  "  let  me  look  at  it." 

I  found  that  the  wound  was  caused  by  a  pistol  shot 
in  the  chest.  It  did  not  bleed  much,  and,  as  it  was  on 
the  right  side,  I  was  in  hopes  that  it  might  not  be  very 
serious.  But  Bill  shook  his  head.  "  However,"  said  he, 
"  sit  down,  Ralph,  and  I'll  tell  you  all  about  it." 

"  You  see,  after  we  left  the  boat  an'  began  to  push 
through  the  bushes,  we  went  straight  for  the  line  of  my 
musket,  as  I  had  expected  ;  but  by  some  unlucky  chance 
it  didn't  explode,  for  I  saw  the  line  torn  away  by  the 
men's  legs,  and  heard  the  click  o'  the  lock ;  so  I  fancy 
the  priming  had  got  damp  and  didn't  catch.  I  was  in  a 
great  quandary  now  what  to  do,  for  I  couldn't  concoct  in  my 
mind,  in  the  hurry,  any  good  reason  for  firm'  off  my  piece. 


268  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

But  they  say  necessity's  the  mother  of  invention  ;  so,  just 
as  I  was  givin'  it  up  and  clinchin'  rny  teeth  to  bide  the 
worst  o't,  and  take  what  should  come,  a  sudden  thought 
came  into  my  head.  I  stepped  out  before  the  rest, 
seemin'  to  be  awful  anxious  to  be  at  the  savages,  tripped 
my  foot  on  a  fallen  tree,  plunged  head  foremost  into  a 
bush,  an',  ov  coorse,  my  carbine  exploded  !  Then  came 
such  a  screechin'  from  the  camp  as  I  never  heard  in  all 
my  life.  I  rose  at  once,  and  was  rushin'  on  with  the  rest 
when  the  captain  called  a  halt. 

"  '  You  did  that  a-purpose,  you  villain  ! '  he  said,  with 
a  tremendous  oath,  and,  drawin'  a  pistol  from  his  belt,  let 
fly  right  into  my  breast.  I  fell  at  once,  and  remembered 
no  more  till  I  was  startled  and  brought  round  by  the  most 
awful  yell  I  ever  heard  in  my  life,  —  except,  maybe,  the 
shrieks  o'  them  poor  critters  that  were  crushed  to  death 
under  yon  big  canoe.  Jumpin'  up,  I  looked  round,  and, 
through  the  trees,  saw  a  fire  gleamin'  not  far  off,  the  light 
o'  which  showed  me  the  captain  and  men  tied  hand  and 
foot,  each  to  a  post,  and  the  savages  dancin'  round  them 
like  demons.  I  had  scarce  looked  for  a  second,  when  I 
saw  one  o'  them  go  up  to  the  captain  flourishing  a  knife, 
and,  before  I  could  wink,  he  plunged  it  into  his  breast, 
wrhile  another  yell,  like  the  one  that  roused  me,  rang  upon 
my  ear.  I  didn't  wrait  for  more,  but,  bounding  up,  went 
crashing  through  the  bushes  into  the  woods.  The 
black  fellows  caught  sight  of  me,  however,  but  not  in 
time  to  prevent  me  jumpin'  into  the  boat,  as  you 
know." 

Bill  seemed  to  be  much  exhausted  after  this  recital, 
and  shuddered  frequently  during  the  narrative,  so  I  re- 
frained from  continuing  the  subject  at  that  time,  and  en- 
deavored to  draw  his  mind  to  other  things. 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  269 

"  But  now,  Bill,"  said  I,  "  it  behooves  us  to  think 
about  the  future,  and  what  course  of  action  we  shall  pur- 
sue. Here  we  are,  on  the  wide  Pacific,  in  a  well-ap- 
pointed schooner,  which  is  our  own,  —  at  least  no  one  has 
a  better  claim  to  it  than  we  have,  —  and  the  world  lies 
before  us.  Moreover,  here  comes  a  breeze,  so  we  must 
make  up  our  minds  which  way  to  steer." 

"  Ralph,  boy,"  said  my  companion,  "  it  matters  not  to 
me  which  way  we  go.  I  fear  that  my  time  is  short  now. 
Go  where  you  will.     I'm  content." 

"  Well  then,  Bill,  I  think  we  had  better  steer  to  the 
Coral  Island,  and  see  what  has  become  of  my  dear  old 
comrades,  Jack  and  Peterkin.  I  believe  the  island  has 
no  name,  but  the  captain  once  pointed  it  out  to  me  on  the 
chart,  and  I  marked  it  afterwards  ;  so,  as  we  know  pretty 
well  our  position  just  now,  I  think  I  can  steer  to  it. 
Then,  as  to  working  the  vessel,  it  is  true  I  cannot  hoist 
the  sails  single-handed,  but  luckily  we  have  enough  of 
sail  set  already,  and  if  it  should  come  on  to  blow  a  squall, 
I  could  at  least  drop  the  peaks  of  the  main  and  fore  sails, 
and  clew  them  up  partially  without  help,  and  throw  her 
head  close  into  the  wind,  so  as  to  keep  her  all  shaking  till 
the  violence  of  the  squall  is  past.  And  if  we  have  contin- 
ued light  breezes,  I'll  rig  up  a  complication  of  blocks  and 
fix  them  to  the  topsail  halyards,  so  that  I  shall  be  able  to 
hoist  the  sails  without  help.  'Tis  true  I'll  require  half  a 
day  to  hoist  them,  but  we  don't  need  to  mind  that.  Then 
I'll  make  a  sort  of  erection  on  deck  to  screen  you  from 
the  sun,  Bill ;  and  if  you  can  only  manage  to  sit  beside 
the  tiller  and  steer  for  two  hours  every  day,  so  as  to  let 
me  get  a  nap,  I'll  engage  to  let  you  off  duty  all  the  rest  of 
the  twenty-four  hours.  And  if  you  don't  feel  able  for 
steering,  I'll  lash  the  helm  and  heave  to,  while  I 'get  you 


270  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

your  breakfasts  and  dinners ;  and  so  we'll  manage  fa- 
mously, and  soon  reach  the  Coral  Island." 

Bill  smiled  faintly  as  I  ran  on  in  this  strain. 

"  And  what  will  you  do,"  said  he,  "  if  it  comes  on  to 
blow  a  storm  ?  " 

This  question  silenced  me,  while  I  considered  what  I 
should  do  in  such  a  case.  At  length  I  laid  my  hand  on 
his  arm,  and  said,  "  Bill,  when  a  man  has  done  all  that 
he  can  do,  he  ought  to  leave  the  rest  to  God." 

"  Oh,  Ralph,"  said  my  companion,  in  a  faint  voice, 
looking  anxiously  into  my  face,  "  I  wish  that  I  had  the 
feelin's  about  God  that  you  seem  to  have,  at  this  hour. 
I'm  dyin',  Ralph;  yet  I,  who  have  braved  death  a 
hundred  times,  am  afraid  to  die.  I'm  afraid  to  enter  the 
next  world.  Something  within  tells  me  there  will  be  a 
reckoning  when  I  go  there.  But  it's  all  over  with  me, 
Ralph.     I  feel  that  there's  no  chance  o'  my  bein'  saved." 

"Don't  say  that,  Bill,"  said  I,  in  deep 'compassion, 
"  don't  say  that.  I'm  quite  sure  there's  hope  even  for 
you,  but  I  can't  remember  the  words  of  the  Bible  that 
make  me  think  so.  Is  there  not  a  Bible  on  board, 
Bill?" 

"  No  ;  the  last  that  was  in  the  ship  belonged  to  a 
poor  boy  that  was  taken  aboard  against  his  will.  He 
died,  poor  lad,  I  think,  through  ill  treatment  and  fear. 
After  he  was  gone  the  captain  found  his  Bible  and  flung 
it  overboard." 

I  now  reflected,  with  great  sadness  and  self-reproach, 
on  the  way  in  which  I  had  neglected  my  Bible ;  and  it 
flashed  across  me  that  I  was  actually  in  the  sight  of 
God  a  greater  sinner  than  this  blood-stained  pirate  ;  for, 
thought  I,  he  tells  me  that  he  never  read  the  Bible,  and 
was  never  brought  up  to  care  for  it ;  whereas  I  was  care- 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  271 

fully  taught  to  read  it  by  my  own  mother,  and  had  read 
it  daily  as  long  as  'I  possessed  one,  yet  to  so  little  purpose 
that  I  could  not  now  call  to  mind  a  single  text  that  would 
meet  this  poor  man's  case,  and  afford  him  the  consolation 
he  so  much  required.  I  was  much  distressed,  and  taxed 
my  memory  for  a  long  time.  At  last  a  text  did  flash 
into  my  mind,  and  I  wondered  much  that  I  had  not 
thought  of  it  before. 

"  Bill,"  said  I,  in  a  low  voice,  "  '  Believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  and  thou  shalt  be  saved.' " 

"  Ay,  Ralph,  I've  heard  the  missionaries  say  that  be- 
fore now,  but  what  good  can  it  do  me  ?  It's  not  for  me 
that.     It's  not  for  the  likes  o'  me." 

I  knew  not  now  what  to  say,  for  although  I  felt  sure 
that  that  word  was  for  him  as  well  as  for  me,  I  could  not 
remember  any  other  word  whereby  I  could  prove  it. 

After  a  short  pause,  Bill  raised  his  eyes  to  mine  and 
said,  "  Ralph,  I've  led  a  terrible  life.  I've  been  a  sailor 
since  I  was  a  boy,  and  I've  gone  from  bad  to  worse  ever 
since  I  left  my  father's  roof.  I've  been  a  pirate  three 
years  now.  It  is  true  I  did  not  choose  the  trade,  but 
I  was  inveigled  aboard  this  schooner  and  kept  here  by 
force  till  I  became  reckless  and  at  last  joined  them. 
Since  that  time  my  hand  has  been  steeped  in  human 
blood  again  and  again.  Your  young  heart  would  grow 
cold  if  I  — ;  but  why  should  I  go  on  ?  'Tis  of  no  use, 
Ralph  ;  my  doom  is  fixed." 

"  Bill,"  said  I,  " '  Though  your  sins  be  red  like  crim- 
son, they  shall  be  white  as  snow.'     '  Only  believe.' " 

"  Only  believe  !  "  cried  Bill,  starting  up  on  his  elbow  ; 
"  I've  heard  men  talk  o'  believing  as  if  it  was  easy. 
Ha  !  'tis  easy  enough  for  a  man  to  point  to  a  rope  and 
say,  '  I  believe   that  would   bear  my  weight ; '  but  'tis 


272  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

another  thing  for  a  man  to  catch  hold  o'  that  rope,  and 
swing  himself  by  it  over  the  edge  of  a*  precipice  !  " 

The  energy  with  which  he  said  this,  and  the  action 
with  which  it  was  accompanied,  were  too  much  for  Bill. 
He  sank  back  with  a  deep  groan.  As  if  the  very  ele- 
ments sympathized  with  this  man's  sufferings,  a  low 
moan  came  sweeping  over  the  sea. 

"  Hist !  Ralph,"  said  Bill,  opening  his  eyes ;  "  there's 
a  squall  coming,  lad.  Look  alive,  boy.  Clew  up  the 
foresail.  Drop  the  mainsail  peak.  Them  squalls  come 
quick  sometimes." 

I  had  already  started  to  my  feet,  and  saw  that  a  heavy 
squall  was  indeed  bearing  down  on  us.  It  had  hitherto 
escaped  my  notice,  owing  to  my  being  so  much  engrossed 
bv  our  conversation.  I  instantly  did  as  Bill  desired,  for 
the  schooner  was  still  lying  motionless  on  the  glassy  sea. 
I  observed  with  some  satisfaction  that  the  squall  was 
bearing  down  on  the  larboard  bow,  so  that  it  would  strike 
the  vessel  in  the  position  in  which  she  would  be  best  able 
to  stand  the  shock.  Having  done  my  best  to  shorten  sail, 
I  returned  aft,  and  took  my  stand  at  the  helm. 

"  Now,  boy,"  said  Bill,  in  a  faint  voice,  "  keep  her  close 
to  the  wind." 

A  few  seconds  afterwards  he  said,  "  Ralph,  let  me  hear 
those  two  texts  again." 

I  repeated  them. 

"  Are  ye  sure,  lad,  ye  saw  them  in  the  Bible  ?  " 

"  Quite  sure,"  I  replied. 

Almost  before  the  words  had  left  my  lips  the  wind 
burst  upon  us,  and  the  spray  dashed  over  our  decks.  For 
a  time  the  schooner  stood  it  bravely,  and  sprang  forward 
against  the  rising  sea  like  a  war-horse.  Meanwhile  clouds 
darkened  the  sky,  and  the  sea  began  to  rise  in  huge  bil- 


THE  COEAL  ISLAND.  273 

lows.  There  was  still  too  much  sail  on  the  schooner,  and, 
as  the  gale  increased,  I  feared  that  the  masts  would  be 
torn  out  of  her  or  carried  away,  while  the  wind  whistled 
and  shrieked  through  the  strained  rigging.  Suddenly  the 
wind  shifted  a  point,  a  heavy  sea  struck  us  on  the  bow,  and 
the  schooner  was  almost  laid  on  her  beam-ends,  so  that  I 
could  scarcely  keep  my  legs.  At  the  same  moment  Bill 
lost  his  hold  of  the  belaying-pin  which  had  served  to 
steady  him,  and  he  slid  with  stunning  violence  against  the 
skylight.  As  he  lay  on  the  deck  close  beside  me,  I  could 
see  that  the  shock  had  rendered  him  insensible,  but  I  did 
not  dare  to  quit  the  tiller  for  an  instant,  as  it  required  all 
my  faculties,  bodily  and  mental,  to  manage  the  schooner. 
For  an  hour  the  blast  drove  us  along,  while,  owing  to. 
the  sharpness  of  the  vessel's  bow  and  the  press  of  can- 
vas, she  dashed  through  the  waves  instead  of  breastinc 
over  them,  thereby  drenching  the  decks  with  water  fore 
and  aft.  At  the  end  of  that  time  the  squall  passed  away, 
and  left  us  rocking  on  the  bosom  of  the  agitated  sea. 

My  first  care,  the  instant  I  could  quit  the  helm,  was  to 
raise  Bill  from  the  deck  and  place  him  on  the  couch.  I 
then  ran  below  for  the  brandy  bottle  and  rubbed  his  face 
and  hands  with  it,  and  endeavored  to  pour  a  little  down 
his  throat.  But  my  efforts,  although  I  continued  themt 
long  and  assiduously,  were  of  no  avail ;  as  I  let  go  the 
hand  which  I  had  been  chafing  it  fell  heavily  on  the  deck. 
I  laid  my  hand  over-  his  heart,  and  sat  for  some  time 
quite  motionless,  but  there  was  no  flutter  there  —  the 
pirate  was  dead  ! 


is 


274  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

ALONE  ON  TIIE  DEEP  —  NECESSITY  THE  MOTHER  OF  INVENTION  — 
A  VALUABLE  BOOK  DISCOVERED  —  NATURAL  PHENOMENON  —  A 
BRIGHT   DAY  IN  MY  HISTORY. 

IT  was  with  feelings  of  awe,  not  unmingled  with  fear, 
that  I  now  seated  myself  on  the  cabin  skylight 
and  gazed  upon  the  rigid  features  of  my  late  comrade, 
while  my  mind  wandered  over  his  past  history  and  con- 
templated with  anxiety  my  present  position.  Alone !  in 
the  midst  of  the  wide  Pacific,  having  a  most  imperfect 
knowledge  of  navigation,  and  in  a  schooner  requiring  at 
least  eight  men  as  her  proper  crew.  But  I  will  not  tax 
the  reader's  patience  with  a  minute  detail  of  my  feelings 
and  doings  during  the  first  few  days  that  followed  the 
death  of  my  companion.  I  will  merely  mention  that  I 
tied  a  cannon  ball  to  his  feet,  and,  with  feelings  of  the 
deepest  sorrow,  consigned  him  to  the  deep. 

For  fully  a  week  after  that  a  steady  breeze  blew  from 
the  east,  and,  as  my  course  lay  west-and-by-north,  I 
made  rapid  progress  towards  my  destination.  I  could 
not  take  an  observation,  which  I  very  much  regretted, 
as  the  captain's  quadrant  was  in  the  cabin;  but,  from 
the  day  of  setting  sail  from  the  island  of  the  savages, 
I  had  kept  a  dead  reckoning,  and  as  I  knew  pretty  well 
now  how  much  leeway  the  schooner  made,  I  hoped  to 
hit  the  Coral  Island  without  much  difficulty.  In  this  I 
was  the  more  confident  that  I  knew  its  position  on  the 


THE    CORAL  ISLAND.  275 

chart,  (which  I  understood  was  a  very  good  one.)  and 
so  had  its  correct  bearings  by  compass. 

As  the  weather  seemed  now  quite  settled  and  fine,  and 
as  I  had  got  into  the  trade-winds,  I  set  about  prepara- 
tions for  hoisting  the  topsails.  This  was  a  most  arduous 
task,  and  my  first  attempts  were  complete  failures,  owing, 
in  a  great  degree,  to  my  reprehensible  ignorance  of  me- 
chanical forces.  The  first  error  I  made  was  in  applying 
my  apparatus  of  blocks  and  pulleys  to  a  rope  which  was 
too  weak,  so  that  the  very  first  heave  I  made  broke  it  in 
two,  and  sent  me  staggering  against  the  after-hatch,  over 
which  I  tripped,  and,  striking  against  the  main-boom, 
tumbled  down  the  companion-ladder  into  the  cabin.  I 
was  much  bruised  and  somewhat  stunned  by  this  untow- 
ard accident.  However,  I  considered  it  fortunate  that 
I  was  not  killed.  In  my  next  attempt  I  made  sure  of 
not  coming  by  a  similar  accident,  so  I  unreeved  the  tack- 
ling and  fitted  up  larger  blocks  and  ropes.  But  although 
the  principle  on  which  I  acted  was  quite  correct,  the  ma- 
chinery was  now  so  massive  and  heavy  that  the  mere 
friction  and  stiffness  of  the  thick  cordage  prevented  me 
from  moving  it  at  all.  Afterwards,  however,  I  came  to 
proportion  things  more  correctly ;  but  I  could  not  avoid 
reflecting  at  the  time  how  much  better  it  would  have 
been  had  I  learned  all  this  from  observation  and  study, 
instead  of  waiting  till  I  was  forced  to  acquire  it  through 
the  painful  and  tedious  lessons  of  experience. 

After  the  tackling  was  prepared  and  in  good  working 
order,  it  took  me  the  greater  part  of  a  day  to  hoist  the 
main-topsail.  As  I  could  not  steer  and  work  at  this  at 
the  same  time,  I  lashed  the  helm  in  such  a  position  that, 
with  a  little  watching  now  and  then,  it  kept  the  schooner 
in  her  proper  course.     By  this  means  I  was  enabled  also 


276  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. . 

to  go  about  the  deck  and  down  below  for  things  that  I 
wanted,  as  occasion  required  ;  also  to  cook  and  eat  my 
victuals.  But  I  did  not  dare  to  trust  to  this  plan  during 
the  three  hours  of  rest  that  I  allowed  myself  at  night, 
as  the  wind  might  have  shifted,  in  which  case  I  should 
have  been  blown  far  out  of  my  course  ere  I  awoke.  I 
was,  therefore,  in  the  habit  of  heaving-to  during  those 
three  hours  ;  that  is,  fixing  the  rudder  and  the  sails  in 
such  a  position  as  that  by  acting  against  each  other,  they 
would  keep  the  ship  stationary.  After  my  night's  rest, 
therefore,  I  had  only  to  make  allowance  for  the  leeway 
she  had  made,  and  so  resume  my  course. 

Of  course  I  was  to  some  extent  anxious  lest  another 
squall  should  come,  but  I  made  the  best  provision  I  could 
in  the  circumstances,  and  concluded  that  by  letting  go 
the  weather-braces  of  the  topsails  and  the  topsail  hal- 
yards at  the  same  time,  I  should  thereby  render  these 
sails  almost  powerless.  Besides  this,  I  proposed  to  myself 
to  keep  a  sharp  look-out  on  the  barometer  in  the  cabin, 
and  if  I  observed  at  any  time  a  sudden  fall  in  it,  I 
resolved  that  I  would  instantly  set  about  my  multiform 
appliances  for  reducing  sail,  so  as  to  avoid  being  taken 
at  unawares.  Thus  I  sailed  prosperously  for  two  weeks, 
with  a  fair  wind,  so  that  I  calculated  I  must  be  drawing 
near  to  the  Coral  Island  ;  at  the  thought  of  which  my 
heart  bounded  with  joyful  expectation. 

The  only  book  I  found  on  board,  after  a  careful  search, 
was  a  volume  of  Captain  Cook's  voyages.  This,  I  sup- 
pose, the  pirate  captain  had  brought  with  him  in  order  to 
guide  him,  and  to  furnish  him  with  information  regarding 
the  islands  of  these  seas.  I  found  this  a  most  delightful 
book  indeed,  and  I  not  only  obtained  much  interesting 
knowledge  about  the  sea  in  which  I  was  sailing,  but  I 


THE  COEAL  ISLAND.  277 

had"  many  of  my  own  opinions,  derived  from  experience, 
corroborated ;  and  not  a  few  of  them  corrected.  Besides 
the  reading  of  this  charming  book,  and  the  daily  routine  of 
occupations,  nothing  of  particular  note  happened  to  me 
during  this  voyage,  except  once,  when  on  rising  one 
night,  after  my  three  hours'  nap,  while  it  was  yet  dark,  I 
was  amazed  and  a  little  alarmed  to  find  myself  floating 
in  what  appeared  to  be  a  sea  of  blue  fire  !  I  had  often 
noticed  the  beautiful  appearance  of  phosphorescent  light, 
but  this  for  exceeded  anything  of  the  sort  I  ever  saw  be- 
fore. The  whole  sea  appeared  somewhat  like  milk,  and 
was  remarkably  luminous. 

I  rose  in  haste,  and  letting  down  a  bucket  into  the  sea, 
brought  some  of  the  water  on  board  and  took  it  down  to 
the  cabin  to  examine  it ;  but  no  sooner  did  I  approach 
the  light  than  the  strange  appearance  disappeared,  and 
when  I  removed  the  cabin  lamp  the  luminous  light  ap- 
peared again.  I  was  much  puzzled  with  this,  and  took 
up  a  little  of  the  water  in  the  hollow  of  my  hand  and  then 
let  it  run  off,  when  I  found  that  the  luminous  substance 
was  left  behind  on  my  palm.  I  ran  with  it  to  the  lamp  ; 
but  when  I  got  there  it  was  gone.  I  found,  however,  that 
when  I  went  into  the  dark  my  hand  shone  again  ;  so  I 
took  the  large  glass  of  the  ship's  telescope  and  examined 
my  hand  minutely,  when  I  found  that  there  were  on  it  one 
or  two  small  patches  of  a  clear  transparent  substance  like 
jelly,  which  were  so  thin  as  to  be  almost  invisible  to  the 
naked  eye.  Thus  I  came  to  know  that  the  beautiful 
phosphoric  light,  which  I  had  so  often  admired  before, 
was  caused  by  animals,  for  I  had  no  doubt  that  these 
were  of  the  same  kind  as  the  medusae  or  jelly-fish  which 
are  seen  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 

On  the  evening  of  my  fourteenth  day,  I  was  awakened 


278  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

cut  of  a  nap  into  which  I  had  fallen,  by  a  loud  cry,  and 
starting  up,  I  gazed  around  me.  I  was  surprised  and 
delighted  to  see  a  large  albatross  soaring  majestically 
over  the  ship.  I  immediately  took  it  into  my  head  that 
this  was  the  albatross  I  had  seen  at  Penguin  Island.  I 
had,  of  course,  no  good  reason  for  supposing  this,  but  the 
idea  occurred  to  me,  I  know  not  why,  and  I  cherished  it, 
and  regarded  the  bird  with  as  much  affection  as  if  he 
had  been  an  old  friend.  He  kept  me  company  all  that 
day  and  left  me  as  night  fell. 

Next  morning  as  I  stood  motionless  and  with  heavy 
eyes  at  the  helm,  for  I  had  not  slept  well,  I  began  to 
weary  anxiously  for  daylight,  and  peered  towards  the 
horizon,  where  I  thought  I  observed  something  like  a 
black  cloud  against  the  dark  sky.  Being  always  on  the 
alert  for  squalls,  I  ran  to  the  bow.  There  could  be  no 
doubt  it  was  a  squall,  and  as  I  listened  I  thought  I  heard 
the  murmur  of  the  coming  gale.  Instantly  I  began  to 
work  might  and  main  at  my  cumbrous  tackle  for  shorten- 
ing sail,  and  in  the  course  of  an  hour  and  a  half  had  the 
most  of  it  reduced,  —  the  topsail  yards  down  on  the  caps, 
the  topsails  clewed  up,  the  sheets  hauled  in,  the  main 
and  fore  peaks  lowered,  and  the  flying-jib  down.  While 
thus  engaged  the  dawn  advanced,  and  I  cast  an  occa- 
sional furtive  glance  ahead  in  the  midst  of  my  labor.  But 
now  that  things  were  prepared  for  the  worst,  I  ran  for- 
ward again  and  looked  anxiously  over  the  bow.  I  now 
heard  the  roar  of  the  waves  distinctly,  and  as  a  single 
ray  of  the  rising  sun  gleamed  over  the  ocean  I  saw  — 

what!  could  it  be  that  I  was  dreaming?  —  that  magnifi- 
es o 

cent  breaker  with  its  ceaseless  roar  !  —  that  mountain 
top  !  —  yc^,  once  more  I  beheld  the  Coral  Island! 


THE    CORAL    ISLAND.  279 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

the  effect  of  a  cannon-shot—  a  happy  reunion  of  a  some- 
what MOIST  NATURE  — RETROSPECTS  AND  EXPLANATIONS  —AN 
AWFUL  DIVE  —  NEW  PLANS  — THE  LAST  OF  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

I  ALMOST  fell  upon  the  deck  with  the  tumult  of 
mingled  emotions  that  filled  my  heart,  as  I  gazed 
ardently  towards  my  beautiful  island.  It  was  still  many 
miles  away,  but  sufficiently  near  to  enable  me  to  trace 
distinctly  the  well-remembered  outlines  of  the  two  moun- 
tains. My  first  impulse  was  to  utter  an  exclamation  of 
gratitude  for  being  carried  to  my  former  happy  home  in 
safety  ;  my  second  to  jump  up,  clap  my  hands,  shout,  and 
run  up  and  down  the  deck,  with  no  other  object  in  view 
than  that  of  giving  vent  to  my  excited  feelings.  Then  I 
went  below  for  the  telescope,  and  spent  nearly  ten  minutes 
of  the  utmost  impatience  in  vainly  trying  to  get  a  focus, 
and  in  rubbing  the  skin  nearly  off  my  eyes,  before  I  dis- 
covered that  having  taken  off  the  large  glass  to  examine 
the  phosphoric  water  with  I  had  omitted  to  put  it  on 
again. 

After  that  I  looked  up  impatiently  at  the  sails,  which 
I  now  regretted  having  lowered  so  hastily,  and  for  a  mo- 
ment thought  of  hoisting  the  main-topsail  again ;  but 
recollecting  that  it  would  take  me  full  half  a  day  to  ac- 
complish, and  that,  at  the  present  rate  of  sailing,  two  hours 
would  bring  me  to  the  island,  I  immediately  dismissed  the 
idea. 


280  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

The  remainder  of  the  time  I  spent  in  making  feverish 
preparations  for  arriving  and  seeing  my  dear  comrades. 
I  remembered  that  they  were  not  in  the  habit  of  rising 
before  six,  and,  as  it  was  now  only  three,  I  hoped  to  arrive 
before  they  were  awake.  Moreover,  I  set  about  making 
ready  to  let  go  the  anchor,  resolving  in  my  own  mind  that, 
as  I  knew  the  depth  of  water  in  the  passage  of  the  reef 
and  within  the  lagoon,  I  would  run  the  schooner  in  and 
bring  up  opposite  the  bower.  Fortunately  the  anchor 
was  hanging  at  the  cat-head,  otherwise  I  should  never 
have  been  able  to  use  it.  Now,  I  had  only  to  cut  the 
tackling,  and  it  would  drop  of  its  own  weight  After 
searching  among  the  flags,  I  found  the  terrible  black  one, 
which  I  ran  up  to  the  peak.  While  I  was  doing  this, 
a  thought  struck  me.  I  went  to  the  powder  magazine, 
brought  up  a  blank  cartridge  and  loaded  the  big  brass  gun, 
which,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  unhoused  when  we  set 
sail,  and,  as  I  had  no  means  of  housing  it,  there  it  had 
stood,  bristling  alike  at  fair  weather  and  foul  all  the 
voyage.  I  took  care  to  grease  its  mouth  well,  and,  be- 
fore leaving  the  forepart  of  the  ship,  thrust  the  poker 
into  the  fire. 

All  was  now  ready.  A  steady  five-knot  breeze  was 
blowing,  so  that  I  was  now  not  more  than  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  from  the  reef.  I  was  soon  at  the  entrance,  and,  as 
the  schooner  glided  quickly  through,  I  glanced  affection- 
ately at  the  huge  breaker,  as  if  it  had  been  the  same  one 
I  had  seen  there  when  I  bade  adieu,  as  I  feared  forever, 
to  the  island.  On  coming  opposite  the  Water  Garden,  I 
put  the  helm  hard  down.  The  schooner  came  round  with 
;a  rapid,  graceful  bend,  and  lost  way  just  opposite  the 
bower.  Running  forward,  I  let  go  the  anchor,  caught  up 
the  redhot  poker,  applied  it  to  the  brass  gun,  and  saluted 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  281 

the  mountains  with  a  bang,  such  as  had  only  once  before 
broke  their  slumbering  echoes  ! 

Effective  although  it  was,  however,  it  was  scarcely 
equal  to  the  bang  with  which,  instantly  after,  Peterkin 
bounded  from  the  bower,  in  scanty  costume,  his  eyeballs 
starting  from  his  head  with  surprise  and  terror.  One 
gaze  he  gave,  one  yell,  and  then  fled  into  the  bushes  like 
a  wild  cat.  The  next  moment  Jack  went  through  ex- 
actly the  same  performance,  the  only  difference  being, 
that  his  movements  were  less  like  those  of  Jack-in-the- 
box,  though  not  less  vigorous  and  rapid  than  those  of 
Peterkin. 

"  Hallo  ! "  I  shouted,  almost  mad  with  joy,  "  what,  ho  ! 
Peterkin  !  Jack  !  hallo  !  it's  me  !  " 

My  shout  was  just  in  time  to  arrest  them.  They  halted 
and  turned  round,  and,  the  instant  I  repeated  the  cry,  I 
saw  that  they  recognized  my  voice,  by  both  of  them  run- 
ning at  full  speed  towards  the  beach.  I  could  no  longer 
contain  myself.  Throwing  off  my  jacket,  I  jumped  over- 
board at  the  same  moment  that  Jack  bounded  into  the  sea. 
In  another  moment  we  met  in  deep  water,  clasped  each 
other  round  the  neck,  and  sank,  as  a  matter  of  course,  to 
the  bottom !  We  were  well-nigh  choked,  and  instantly 
struggled  to  the  surface,  where  Peterkin  was  spluttering 
about  like  a  wounded  duck,  laughing  and  crying  by  turns, 
and  choking  himself  with  salt  water  ! 

It  would  be  impossible  to  convey  to  my  reader,  by  de- 
scription, an  adequate  conception  of  the  scene  that  fol- 
lowed my  landing  on  the  beach,  as  we  stood  embracing 
each  other  indiscriminately  in  our  dripping  garments,  and 
giving  utterance  to  incoherent  rhapsodies,  mingled  with 
wild  shouts.  It  can  be  more  easily  imagined  than  de- 
scribed, so  I  will  draw  a  curtain  over  this  part  of  my  his- 


282  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

tory,  and  carry  the  reader  forward  over  an  interval  of 
three  days. 

During  the  greater  part  of  that  period  Peterkin  did 
nothing  but  roast  pigs,  taro,  and  breadfruit,  and  ply  me 
with  plantains,  plums,  potatoes,  and  cocoa-nuts,  while  I 
related  to  him  and  Jack  the  terrible  and  wonderful  ad- 
ventures I  had  sone  through  since  we  last  met.  After  I 
had  finished  the  account,  they  made  me  go  all  over  it 
again  ;  and,  when  I  had  concluded  the  second  recital,  I 
had  to  go  over  it  again,  while  they  commented  upon  it 
piecemeal.  They  were  much  affected  by  what  I  told 
them  of  the  probable  fate  of  Avatea,  and  Peterkin  could 
by  no  means  brook  the  idea  of  the  poor  girl  being  con- 
verted into  a  long  pig !  As  for  Jack,  he  clenched  his 
teeth,  and  shook  his  fist  towards  the  sea,  saying  at  the 
same  time,  that  he  was  sorry  he  had  not  broken  Tararo's 
head,  and  he  only  hoped  that  one  day  he  should  be  able 
to  plant  his  knuckles  on  the  bridge  of  that  chief's  nose ! 
After  they  had  "  pumped  me  dry,"  as  Peterkin  said,  I 
begged  to  be  informed  of  what  had  happened  to  them 
during  my  long  absence,  and  particularly  as  to  how  they 
got  out  of  the  Diamond  Cave. 

"  Well,  you  must  know,"  began  Jack,  "  after  you  had 
dived  out  of  the  cave,  on  tha  day  you  were  taken  away 
from  us,  we  waited  Very  patiently  for  half  an  hour,  not 
expecting  you  to  return  before  the  end  of  that  time. 
Then  we  began  to  upbraid  you  for  staying  so  long,  when 
you  knew  we  would  be  anxious;  but  when  an  hour 
passed,  we  became  alarmed,  and  I  resolved  at  all  hazards 
to  dive  out,  and  see  what  had  become  of  you,  although  I 
felt  for  poor  Peterkin,  because,  as  he  truly  said,  '  If  you 
never  come  back,  I'm  shut  up  here  for  life.'  However,  I 
promised  not  to  run  any  risk,  and  he  let  me  go ;  which, 
to  say  truth,  I  thought  very  courageous  of  him ! " 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  283 


u  I  should  just  think  it  was  !  "  interrupted  Peterkin, 
looking  at  Jack  over  the  edge  of  a  monstrous  potato  which 
he  happened  to  be  devouring  at  the  time. 

"  Well,"  continued  Jack, "  you  may  guess  my  conster- 
nation when  you  did  not  answer  to  my  halloo.  At  first  I 
imagined  that  the  pirates  must  have  killed  you,  and  left 
you  in  the  bush,  or  thrown  you  into  the  sea  ;  then  it  oc- 
curred to  me  that  this  would  have  served  no  end  of  theirs, 
so  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  they  must  have  carried 
you  aAvay  with  them.  As  this  thought  struck  me,  I  ob- 
served the  pirate  schooner  standing  away  to  the  nor'ard, 
almost  hull-down  on  the  horizon,  and  I  sat  down  on  the 
rocks  to  watch  her  as  she  slowly  sank  from  my  sight. 
And  I  tell  you,  Ralph,  my  boy,  that  I  shed  more  tears 
that  time,  at  losing  you,  than  I  have  done,  I  verily  be- 
lieve, all  my  life  before  —  " 

"  Pardon  me,  Jack,  for  interrupting,"  said  Peterkin ; 
"  surely  you  must  be  mistaken  in  that ;  you've  often  told 
me  that  when  you  were  a  baby,  you  used  to  howl  and  roar 
from  morning  to  —  " 

"  Hold  your  tongue,  Peterkin,"  cried  Jack.  "  Well, 
after  the  schooner  had  disappeared,  I  dived  back  into  the 
cave,  much  to  Peterkin's  relief,  and  told  him  what  I  had 
seen.  We  sat  down  and  had  a  long  talk  over  this  matter, 
and  then  we  agreed  to  make  a  regular,  systematic  search 
through  the  woods,  so  as  to  make  sure,  at  least,  that  you 
had  not  been  killed.  But  now  we  thought  of  the  diffi- 
culty of  getting  out  of  the  cave  without  your  help.  Pe- 
terkin became  dreadfully  nervous  when  he  thought  of 
this  ;  and  I  must  confess  that  I  felt  some  alarm,  for,  of 
course,  I  could  not  hope  alone  to  take  him  out  so  quickly 
as  we  two  together  had  brought  him  in ;  and  he  himself 
vowed  that,  if  we  had  been  a  moment  longer  with  him 


284  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

that  time,  he  would  have  had  to  take  a  breath  of  salt 
water.  However,  there  was  no  help  for  it,  and  I  en- 
deavored to  calm  his  fears  as  well  as  I  could  ;  '  for/  said 
I,  '  you  can't  live  here,  Peterkin  ; '  to  which  he  replied, 
■  Of  course  not,  Jack,  I  can  only  die  here,  and,  as  that's 
not  at  all  desirable,  you  had  better  propose  something.' 
So  I  suggested  that  he  should  take  a  good  long  breath, 
and  trust  himself  to  me. 

" '  Might  we  not  make  a  large  bag  of  cocoa-nut  cloth, 
into  which  I  could  shove  my  head,  and  tie  it  tight  round 
my  neck  ? '  he  asked,  with  a  haggard  smile.  '  It  might 
let  me  get  one  breath  under  water ! ' 

" '  No  use/  said  I ;  'it  would  fill  in  a  moment  and  suf- 
focate you.  I  see  nothing  for  it,  Peterkin,  if  you  really 
can't  keep  your  breath  so  long,  but  to  let  me  knock  you 
down,  and  carry  you  out  while  in  a  state  of  insensibility.' 

"But  Peterkin  didn't  relish  this  idea.  He  seemed  to 
fear  that  I  could  not  be  able  to  measure  the  exact  force 
of  the  blow,  and  might,  on  the  one  hand,  hit  him  so  softly 
as  to  render  a  second  or  third  blow  necessary,  which 
would  be  very  uncomfortable ;  or,  on  the  other  hand, 
give  him  such  a  smash  as  would  entirely  spoil  his  figure- 
head, or,  mayhap,  knock  the  life  out  of  him  altogether  ! 
At  last  I  got  him  persuaded  to  try  to  hold  his  breath, 
and  commit  himself  to  me ;  so  he  agreed,  and  down  we 
went.  But  I  had  not  got  him  half  way  through,  when 
he  began  to  struggle  and  kick  like  a  wild  bull,  burst 
from  my  grasp,  and  hit  against  the  roof  of  the  tunnel. 
I  was,  therefore  obliged  to  force  him  violently  back  into 
the  cave  again,  wHeri  he  rose  panting  to  the  surface. 
In  short,  he  had  lost  his  presence  of  mind,  and  —  " 

"  Nothing  of  the  sort,"  cried  Peterkin,  indignantly,  "  I 
had  only  lost  my  wind ;  and  if  I  had  not  had  presence 


THE   CORAL    ISLAND.  285 

of  mind  enough  to  kick  as  I  did,  I  should  have  bu'st  in 
your  arras ! " 

"  Well,  well,  so  be  it,"  resumed  Jack,  with  a  smile, 
"  but  the  upshot  of  it  was,  that  we  had  to  hold  another 
consultation  on  the  point,  and  I  really  believe  that,  had  it 
not  been  for  a  happy  thought  of  mine,  we  should  have 
been  consulting  there  yet." 

u  I  wish  we  had,"  again  interrupted  Peterkin,  with  a 
sigh.  "  I'm  sure,  Ralph,  if  I  had  thought  that  you  were 
coming  back  again,  I  would  willingly  have  awaited  your 
return  for  months,  rather  than  have  endured  the  mental 
agony  which  I  went  through!     But  proceed." 

"  The  thought  was  this,"  continued  Jack,  "  that  I 
should  tie  Peterkin's  hands  and  feet  with  cords,  and  then 
lash  him  firmly  to  a  stout  poie  about  five  feet  long,  in 
order  to  render  him  quite  powerless,  and  keep  him 
straight  and  stiff.  You  should  have  seen  his  face  of  hor- 
ror, Ralph,  when  I  suggested  this ;  but  he  came  to  see 
that  it  was  his  only  chance,  and  told  me  to  set  about  it  as 
fast  as  I  could  ;  '  for,'  said  he,  '  this  is  no  jokin',  Jack,  7" 
can  tell  you,  and  the  sooner  it's  done  the  better.'  I  soon 
procured  the  cordage,  and  a  suitable  pole,  with  which  I 
returned  to  the  cave,  and  lashed  him  as  stiff  and  straight 
as  an  Egyptian  mummy ;  and  to  say  truth,  he  was  no 
bad  representation  of  what  an  English  mummy  would 
be,  if  there  were  such  things,  for  he  was  as  white  as  a 
dead  man." 

" '  Now,'  said  Peterkin,  in  a  tremulous  voice,  '  swim 
with  me  as  near  to  the  edge  of  the  hole  as  you  can  be- 
fore you  dive,  then  let  me  take  a  long  breath,  and,  as  I 
shan't  be  able  to  speak  after  I've  taken  it,  you'll  watch 
my  face,  and  the  moment  you  see  me  wink  —  dive ! 
And  oh ! '  he  added,  earnestly,  '  pray  don't  be  long ! ' 


286  THE    CORAL  ISLAND. 

"  I  promised  to  pay  the  strictest  attention  to  his  wishes, 
and  swam  with  him  to  the  outlet  of  the  cave.  Here  I 
paused.  '  Now,  then,'  said  I,  '  pull  away  at  the  wind, 
lad.' 

"  Peterkin  drew  in  a  breath  so  long  that  I  could  not 
help  thinking  of  the  frog  in  the  fable,  that  wanted  to 
swell  itself  as  big  as  the  ox.  Then  I  looked  into  his  face 
earnestly.  Slap  went  the  lid  of  his  right  eye ;  down 
went  my  head,  and  up  went  my  heels.  We  shot  through 
the  passage  like  an  arrow,  and  rose  to  the  surface  of  the 
open  sea  before  you  could  count  twenty  ! 

"  Peterkin  had  taken  in  such  an  awful  load  of  wind, 
that,  on  reaching  the  free  air,  he  let  it  out  with  a  yell 
loud  enough  to  have  been  heard  a  mile  off,  and  then,  the 
change  in  his  feelings  wTas  so  sudden  and  great,  that  he 
did  not  wrait  till  we  landed,  but  began,  tied  up  as  he  was, 
to  shout  and  sing  for  joy  as  I  supported  him  with  my 
left  arm  to  the  shore.  However,  in  the  middle  of  a 
laugh  that  a  hyena  might  have  envied,  I  let  him  acci- 
dentally slip,  which  extinguished  him  in  a  moment. 

"  After  this  happy  deliverance,  we  immediately  began 
our  search  for  your  dead  body,  Ralph,  and  you  have  no 
idea  how  low  our  hearts  sank  as  we  set  off,  day  after  day, 
to  examine  the  valleys  and  mountain  sides  with  the  ut- 
most care.  In  about  three  weeks  we  completed  the  sur- 
vey of  the  whole  island,  and  had  at  least  the  satisfaction 
of  knowing  that  you  had  not  been  killed.  But  it  oc- 
curred to  us  that  you  might  have  been  thrown  into  the 
sea,  so  we  examined  the  sands  and  the  lagoon  carefully, 
and  afterwards  went  all  round  the  outer  reef.  One  day, 
while  we  were  upon  the  reef,  Peterkin  espied  a  small, 
dark  object  lying  among  the  rocks,  which  seemed  to  be 
quite  different  from  the  surrounding  stones.      We  has- 


THE   CORAL   ISLAND.  287 

tened  towards  the  spot,  and  found  it  to  be  a  small  keg. 
On  knocking  out  the  head  we  discovered  that  it  was  gun- 
powder." 

"It  was  I  who  sent  you  that,  Jack,"  said  I  with  a 
smile. 

"  Fork  out !  "  cried  Peterkin,  energetically,  starting  to 
his  feet  and  extending  his  open  hand  to  Jack.  ''  Down 
with  the  money,  sir,  else  I'll  have  you  shut  up  for  life  in 
a  debtor's  prison  the  moment  we  return  to  England  ! " 

"  I'll  give  you  an  I.O.U.  in  the  mean  time,"  returned 
Jack,  laughing,  "  so  sit  down  and  be  quiet.  The  fact  is, 
Ralph,  when  we  discovered  this  keg  of  powder,  Peterkin 
immediately  took  me  a  bet  of  a  thousand  pounds  that 
you  had  something  to  do  with  it,  and  I  took  him  a  bet  of 
ten  thousand  that  you  had  not." 

"  Peterkin  was  right  then,"  said  I,  explaining  how  the 
thing  had  occurred.  , 

"  Well,  we  found  it  very  useful,"  continued  Jack ;  "  al- 
though some  of  it  had  got  a  little  damp ;  and  we  fur- 
bished up  the  old  pistol,  with  which  Peterkin  is  a  crack 
shot  now.  But,  to  continue.  We  did  not  find  any  other 
vestige  of  you  on  the  reef,  and,  finally,  gave  up  all  hope 
of  ever  seeing  you  again.  After  this  the  island  became 
a  dreary  place  to  us,  and  we  began  to  long  for  a  ship  to 
heave  in  sight,  and  take  us  off.  But  now  that  you're 
back  again,  my  dear  fellow,  it  looks  as  bright  and  cheer- 
ful as  it  used  to  do,  and  I  love  it  as  much  as  ever." 

';  And  now,"  continued  Jack,  "  I  have  a  great  desire  to 
visit  some  of  the  other  islands  of  the  South  Seas.  Here 
we  have  a  first-rate  schooner  at  our  disposal,  so  I  don't 
see  what  should  hinder  us." 

"Just  the  very  thing  I  was  going  to  propose,"  cried 
Peterkin ;  "  I  vote  for  starting  at  once." 


288  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Jack,  "  it  seems  to  me  that  we 
could  not  do  better  than  shape  our  course  for  the  island 
on  which  Avatea  lives,  and  endeavor  to  persuade  Tararo 
to  let  her  many  the  black  fellow  to  whom  she  is  engaged, 
instead  of  making  a  long  pig  of  her.  If  he  has  a  spark 
of  gratitude  in  him  he'll  do  it.  Besides,  having  become 
champions  for  this  girl  once  before,  it  behooves  us,  as  true 
knights,  not  to  rest  until  we  set  her  free  ;  at  least,  all  the 
heroes  in  all  the  story-books  I  have  ever  read  would 
count  it  foul  disgrace  to  leave  such  a  work  unfinished." 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know,  or  care,  what  your  knights 
in  story-books  would  do,"  said  Peterkin,  u  but  I'm  certain 
that  it  would  be  capital  fun,  so  I'm  your  man  whenever 
you  want  me." 

This  plan  of  Jack's  was  quite  in  accordance  with  his 
romantic,  impulsive  nature;  and,  having  made  up  his 
mind  to  save  this  black  girl,  he  could  not  rest  until  the 
thing  was  commenced. 

"But  there  may  be  great  danger  in  this  attempt,"  he 
said  at  the  end  of  a  long  consultation  on  the  subject  ; 
"  will  you,  lads,  go  with  me  in  spite  of  this  ?  " 

"  Go  with  you  ?  "  we  repeated  in  the  same  breath. 

ki  Can  you  doubt  it  ?  "  said  I. 

"  For  a  moment,"  added  Peterkin. 

I  need  scarcely  say  that,  having  made  up  our  minds  to 
go  on  this  enterprise,  we  lost  no  time  in  making  prepara- 
tions to  quit  the  island ;  and  as  the  schooner  was  well 
laden  with  stores  of  every  kind  for  a  long  cruise,  we 
had  little  to  do  except  to  add  to  our  abundant  supply  a 
quantity  of  cocoa-nuts,  breadfruit,  taro,  yams,  plums, 
and  potatoes,  chiefly  with  the  view  of  carrying  the  fra- 
grance of  our  dear  island  along  with  us  as  long  as  we 
could. 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  289 

When  all  was  ready,  we  paid  a  farewell  visit  to  the 
different  familiar  spots  where  most  of  our  time  had  been 
spent.  "We  ascended  the  mountain  top,  and  gazed  for 
the  last  time  at  the  rich  green  foliage  in  the  valleys, 
the  white  sandy  beach,  the  placid  lagoon,  and  the  bar- 
rier coral  reef  with  its  crested  breakers.  Then  we  de- 
scended to  Spouting  Cliff,  and  looked  down  at  the  pale- 
green  monster  which  we  had  made  such  fruitless  efforts 
to  spear  in  days  gone  by.  From  this  we  hurried  to  the 
Water  Garden  and  took  a  last  dive  into  its  clear  waters, 
and  a  last  gambol  amongst  its  coral  groves.  I  hurried 
out  before  my  companions,  and  dressed  in  haste,  in  order 
to  have  a  long  examination  of  my  tank,  which  Peterkin, 
in  the  fulness  of  his  heart,  had  tended  with  the  utmost 
care,  as  being  a  vivid  remembrancer  of  me,  rather  thaa 
out  of  love  for  natural  history.  It  was  in  superb  con- 
dition ;  —  the  water  as  clear  and  pellucid  as  crystal ; 
the  red  and  green  sea-weed  of  the  most  brilliant  hues  ; 
the  red,  purple,  yellow,  green,  and  striped  anemones  fully 
expanded,  and  stretching  out  their  arms  as  if  to  welcome 
and  embrace  their  former  master  ;  the  star-fish,  zoophy- 
tes, sea-pens,  and  other  innumerable  marine  insects,  look- 
ing fresh  and  beautiful ;  and  the  crabs,  as  Peterkin  said,, 
looking  as  wide  awake,  impertinent,  rampant,  and  pug- 
nacious as  ever.  It  was  indeed  so  lovely  and  so  interest- 
ing that  I  would  scarcely  allow  myself  to  be  torn  away 
from  it. 

Last  of  all,  we  returned  to  the  bower  and  collected 
the  few  articles  we  possessed,  such  as  the  axe,  the  pencil- 
case,  the  broken  telescope,  the  penknife,  the  hook  made 
from  the  brass  ring,  and  the  sail-needle,  with  which  we 
had  landed  on  the  island  ;  —  also,  the  long  boots  and  the 

19 


290  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

pistol,  besides  several  curious  articles  of  costume  which 
we  had  manufactured  from  time  to  time. 

These  we  conveyed  on  board  in  our  little  boat,  after 
having  carved  our  names  on  a  chip  of  iron-wood,  thus:  — 

JACK  MARTIN, 
RALPH  ROVER, 
PETERKIN   GAY, 

which  we  fixed  up  inside  of  the  bower.  The  boat  was  then 
hoisted  on  board  and  the  anchor  weighed ;  which  latter 
operation  cost  us  great  labor  and  much  time,  as  the  anchor 
was  so  heavy  that  we  could  not  move  it  without  the  aid 
of  my  complex  machinery  of  blocks  and  pulleys.  A  steady 
breeze  was  blowing  off  shore  when  we  set  sail,  at  a  little 
before  sunset.  It  swept  us  quickly  past  the  reef  and  out 
to  sea.  The  shore  grew  rapidly  more  indistinct  as  the 
shades  of  evening  fell,  while  our  clipper  bark  bounded 
lightly  over  the  waves.  Slowly  the  mountain  top  sank 
on  the  horizon,  until  it  became  a  mere  speck.  In  an- 
other moment  the  sun  and  the  Coral  Island  sank  together 
into  the  broad  bosom  of  the  Pacific. 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  291 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE  VOYAGE  — THE  ISLAND,  AND  A  CONSULTATION  IN  WHICH 
DANGER  IS  SCOUTED  AS  A  THING  UNWORTHY  OF  CONSIDERA- 
TION—RATS  AND  CATS  —  THE  NATIVE  TEACHER  —  AWFUL  REV- 
ELATIONS —  WONDERFUL  EFFECTS   OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

OUR  voyage  during  the  next  two  weeks  was  most 
interesting  and  prosperous.  The  breeze  continued 
generally  fair,  and  at  all  times  enabled  us  to  lie  our 
course  ;  for  being,  as  I  have  said  before,  clipper-built, 
the  pirate  schooner  could  lie  very  close  to  the  wind,  and 
made  little  lee  way.  "We  had  no  difficulty  now  in  manag- 
ing our  sails,  for  Jack  was  heavy  and  powerful,  while 
Peterkin  was  active  as  a  kitten.  Still,  however,  we 
were  a  very  insufficient  crew  for  such  a  vessel,  and  if 
any  one  had  proposed  to  us  to  make  such  a  voyage  in  it 
before  we  had  been  forced  to  go  through  so  many  hard- 
ships from  necessity,  we  would  have  turned  away  with 
pity  from  the  individual  making  such  proposal  as  from  a 
madman.  I  pondered  this  a  good  deal,  and  at  last  con- 
cluded that  men  do  not  know  how  much  they  are  capable 
of  doing  till  they  try,  and  that  we  should  never  give  way 
to  despair  in  any  undertaking,  however  difficult  it  may 
seem  :  —  always  supposing,  however,  that  our  cause  is 
a  good  one,  and  that  we  can  ask  the  divine  blessing 
on  it. 

Although,  therefore,  we  could  now  manage  our  sails 
easily,  we  nevertheless  found  that  my  pulleys  were  ot 
much  service  to  us  in   some  things ;  though  Jack   did 


292  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

laugh  heartily  at  the  uncouth  arrangement  of  ropes  and 
blocks,  which  had,  to  a  sailor's  eye,  a  very  lumbering  and 
clumsy  appearance.  But  I  will  not  drag  my  reader 
through  the  details  of  this  voyage.  Suffice  it  to  say, 
that,  after  an  agreeable  sail  of  about  three  weeks,  we 
arrived  off  the  island  of  Mango,  which  I  recognized  at 
once  from  the  description  that  the  pirate,  Bill,  had  given 
me  of  it  during  one  of  our  conversations. 

As  soon  as  we  came  within  sight  of  it  we  hove  the  ship 
to,  and  held  a  council  of  war. 

"  Now,  boys,"  said  Jack,  as  we  seated  ourselves  beside 
him  on  the  cabin  skylight,  "  before  we  go  farther  in  this 
business,  we  must  go  over  the  pros  and  cons  of  it ;  for, 
although  you  have  so  generously  consented  to  stick  by 
me  through  thick  and  thin,  it  would  be  unfair  did  I  not 
see  that  you  thoroughly  understand  the  danger  of  what 
we  are  about  to  attempt." 

"  Oh !  bother  the  danger,"  cried  Peterkin ;  "  I  won- 
der to  hear  you,  Jack,  talk-  of  danger.  When  a  fellow 
begins  to  talk  about  it,  he'll  soon  come  to  magnify  it  to 
such  a  degree  that  he'll  not  be  fit  to  face  it  when  it  comes, 
no  more  than  a  suckin'  baby !  " 

" Nay,  Peterkin,"  replied  Jack,  gravely,  "I  won't  be 
jested  out  of  it.  I  grant  you,  that,  when  we've  once  re- 
solved to  act,  and  have  made  up  our  minds  what  to  do, 
we  should  think  no  more  of  clanger.  But,  before  we 
have  so  resolved,  it  behooves  us  to  look  at  it  straight  in 
the  face,  and  examine  into  it,  and  walk  round  it  ;  for  if 
we  flinch  at  a  distant  view,  we're  sure  to  run  away  when 
the  danger  is  near.  Now,  I  understand  from  you,  Ralph, 
that  the  island  is  inhabited  by  thorough-going,  out-and- 
out  cannibals,  whose  principal  law  is  —  '  Might  is  right, 
and  the  weakest  goes  to  the  wall  ? '  " 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  293 

"  Yes,"  said  I,  "  so  Bill  gave  me  to  understand.  He 
told  me,  however,  that,  at  the  southern  side  of  it,  the  mis- 
sionaries had  obtained  a  footing  amongst  an  insignificant 
tribe.  A  native  teacher  had  been  sent  there  by  the  Wes- 
leyans,  who  had  succeeded  in  persuading  the  chief  at  that 
part  to  embrace  Christianity.  But  instead  of  that  being 
of  any  advantage  to  our  enterprise,  it  seems  the  very 
reverse  ;  for  the  chief  Tararo  is  a  determined  heathen, 
and  persecutes  the  Christians,  —  who  are  far  too  weak  in 
numbers  to  offer  any  resistance,  —  and  looks  with  dislike 
upon  all  white  men,  whom  he  regards  as  propagators  of 
the  new  faith." 

"  Tis  a  pity,"  said  Jack,  "  that  the  Christian  tribe  is 
so  small,  for  we  shall  scarcely  be  safe  under  their  protec- 
tion, I  fear.  If  Tararo  takes  it  into  his  head  to  wish  for 
our  vessel,  or  to  kill  ourselves,  he  could  take  us  from 
them  by  force.  You  say  that  the  native  missionary  talks 
English  ?  " 

"  So  I  believe." 

"  Then,  what  I  propose  is  this,"  said  Jack :  "  We  will 
run  round  to  the  south  side  of  the  island,  and  cast  anchor 
off  the  Christian  village.  We  are  too  far  away  just  now 
to  have  been  descried  by  any  of  the  savages,  so  we  shall 
get  there  unobserved,  and  have  time  to  arrange  our 
plans  before  the  heathen  tribes  know  of  our  presence. 
But,  in  doing  this,  we  run  the  risk  of  being  captured 
by  the  ill-disposed  tribes,  and  being  very  ill-used,  if  not 
—  a  —  " 

"  Roasted  alive  and  eaten,"  cried  Peterkin.  "  Come, 
out  with  it,  Jack ;  according  to  your  own  showing,  it's 
well  to  look  the  danger  straight  in  the  face !  " 

"  Well,  that  is  the  worst  of  it,  certainly.  Are  you 
prepared,  then,  to  take  your  chance  of  that  ?  " 


294:  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

u  I've  been  prepared  and  had  my  mind  made  up  long 
ago,"  cried  Peterkin,  swaggering  about  the  deck  with  his 
hands  thrust  into  his  breeches'  pockets.  "  The  fact  is, 
Jack,  I  don't  believe  that  Tararo  will  be  so  ungrateful  as 
to  eat  us ;  and  I'm  quite  sure  that  he'll  be  too  happy  to 
grant  us  whatever  we  ask ;  so  the  sooner  we  go  in  and 
win  the  better/' 

Peterkin  was  wrong,  however,  in  his  estimate  of  savage 
gratitude,  as  the  sequel  will  show. 

The  schooner  was  now  put  before  the  wind,  and,  after 
making  a  long  run  to  the  south'ard,  we  put  about  and 
beat  up  for  the  south  side  of  Mango,  where  we  arrived 
before  sunset,  and  hove-to  off  the  coral  reef.  Here  we 
awaited  the  arrival  of  a  canoe,  which  immediately  put 
off  on  our  rounding  to.  When  it  arrived,  a  mild-looking 
native,  of  apparently  forty  years  of  age,  came  on  board, 
and,  taking  off  his  straw  hat,  made  us  a  low  bow.  He  was 
clad  in  a  respectable  suit  of  European  clothes  ;  and  the 
first  words  he  uttered,  as  he  stepped  up  to  Jack  and  shook 
hands  with  him,  were, — 

"  Good  day,  gentlemen ;  we  are  happy  to  see  you  at 
Mango  —  you  are  heartily  welcome." 

After  returning  his  salutation,  Jack  exclaimed,  "  You 
must  be  the  native  missionary  teacher  of  whom  I  have 
heard  —  are  you  not  ? " 

"  I  am.  I  have  the  joy  to  be  a  servant  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  at  this  station." 

"  You're  the  very  man  I  want  to  see,  then,"  replied 
Jack ;  "  that's  lucky.  Come  down  to  the  cabin,  friend, 
and  have  a  glass  of  wine.  I  wish  particularly  to  speak 
with  you.  My  men  there  "  (pointing  to  Peterkin  and 
rae)  "  will  look  after  your  people." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  the  teacher,  as  he  followed  Jack 


THE    CORAL  ISLAND.  295 

to  the  cabin,  "  I  do  not  drink  wine  or  any  strong 
drink." 

"  Oh !  then,  there's  lots  of  water,  and  you  can  have 
biscuit." 

"  Now,  'pon  my  word,  that's  cool !  "  said  Peterkin  ; 
"  his  men,  forsooth  !  "Well,  since  we  are  to  be  men,  we 
may  as  well  come  it  as  strong  over  these  black  chaps  as 
we  can.  Hallo,  there  ! "  he  cried  to  the  half  dozen  of 
natives  who  stood  upon  the  deck,  gazing  in  wonder  at  all 
they  saw,  "  here's  for  you  ; "  and  he  handed  them  a 
tray  of  broken  biscuit  and  a  can  of  water.  Then, 
thrusting  his  hands  into  his  pockets,  he  walked  up  and 
down  the  deck  with  an  enormous  swagger,  whistling  vo- 
ciferously. 

In  about  half  an  hour  Jack  and  the  teacher  came  on 
deck,  and  the  latter,  bidding  us  a  cheerful  good  evening, 
entered  his  canoe  and  paddled  to  the  shore.  When  he 
was  gone,  Peterkin  stepped  up  to  Jack,  and,  touching  his 
cap,  said,  — 

"  Well,  captain,  have  you  any  communications  to  make 
to  your  men  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  cried  Jack ;  "  ready  about,  mind  the  helm  and 
clew  up  your  tongue,  while  I  con  the  schooner  through 
the  passage  in  the  reef.  The  teacher,  who  seems  a  first- 
rate  fellow,  says  it's  quite  deep,  and  good  anchorage  with- 
in the  lagoon  close  to  the  shore." 

While  the  vessel  was  slowly  advancing  to  her  anchor- 
age, under  a  light  breeze,  Jack  explained  to  us  that  Ava- 
tea  was  still  on  the  island,  living  amongst  the  heathens  ; 
that  she  had  expressed  a  strong  desire  to  join  the  Chris- 
tians, but  Tararo  would  not  let  her,  and  kept  her  con- 
stantly in  close  confinement. 

"  Moreover,"  continued  Jack,  "  I  find  that  she  belongs 


296  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

to  one  of  the  Samoan  Islands,  where  Christianity  had 
been  introduced  long  before  her  capture  by  the  heathens 
of  a  neighboring  island  ;  and  the  very  day  after  she  was 
taken,  she  was  to  have  joined  the  church  which  had 
been  planted  there  by  that  excellent  body,  the  London 
Missionary  Society.  The  teacher  tells  me,  too,  that  the 
poor  girl  has  fallen  in  love  with  a  Christian  chief,  who 
lives  on  an  island  some  fifty  miles  or  so  to  the  south  of 
this  one,  and  that  she  is  meditating  a  desperate  attempt 
at  escape.  So,  you  see,  we  have  come  in  the  nick  of 
time.  I  fancy  that  this  chief  is  the  fellow  whom  you 
heard  of,  Ralph,  at  the  Island  of  Emo.  Besides  all  this, 
the  heathen  savages  are  at  war  among  themselves,  and 
there's  to  be  a  battle  fought  the  day  after  to-morrow,  in 
which  the  principal  leader  is  Tararo  ;  so  that  we'll  not  be 
able  to  commence  our  negotiations  with  the  rascally  chief 
till  the  day  after." 

The  village  off  which  we  anchored  was  beautifully  situ- 
ated at  the  head  of  a  small  bay,  from  the  margin  of  which 
trees  of  every  description  peculiar  to  the  tropics  rose  in 
the  richest  luxuriance  to  the  summit  of  a  hilly  ridge, 
which  was  the  line  of  demarcation  between  the  possessions 
of  the  Christians  and  those  of  the  neighboring  heathen 
chief. 

The  site  of  the  settlement  was  an  extensive  plot  of  flat 
land,  stretching  in  a  gentle  slope  from  the  sea  to  the 
.mountain.  The  cottages  stood  several  hundred  yards 
from  the  beach,  and  were  protected  from  the  glare  of  the 
sea  by  the  rich  foliage  of  rows  of  large  Barringtonia  and 
other  trees,  which  girt  the  shore.  The  village  was  about 
a  mile  in  length,  and  perfectly  straight,  with  a  wide  road 
down  the  middle,  on  either  side  of  which  were  rows  of 
the  tufted-topped   ti   tree,  whose    delicate   and  beautiful 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  297 

blossoms,  hanging  beneath  their  plume-crested  tops,  added 
richness  to  the  scene.  The  cottages  of  the  natives  were 
built  beneath  these  trees,  and  were  kept  in  the  most  ex- 
cellent order,  each  having  a  little  garden  in  front,  taste- 
fully laid  out  and  planted,  while  the  walks  were  covered 
with  black  and  white  pebbles. 

Every  house  had  doors  and  Venetian  windows,  painted 
partly  with  lamp  black  made  from  the  candle-nut,  and 
partly  with  red  ochre,  which  contrasted  powerfully  with 
the  dazzling  coral  lime  that  covered  the  walls.  On  a 
prominent  position  stood  a  handsome  church,  which  was 
quite  a  curiosity  in  its  way.  It  was  a  hundred  feet  long 
by  fifty  broad,  and  was  seated  throughout  to  accommodate 
upwards  of  two  thousand  persons.  It  had  six  large  fold- 
ing doors  and  twelve  windows  with  Venetian  blinds ;  and, 
although  a  large  and  substantial  edifice,  it  had  been  built, 
we  were  told  by  the  teacher,  in  the  space  of  two  months  ! 
There  was  not  a  single  iron  nail  in  the  fabric,  and  the 
natives  had  constructed  it  chiefly  with  their  stone  and 
bone  axes  and  other  tools,  having  only  one  or  two  axes 
or  tools  of  European  manufacture.  Everything  around 
this  beautiful  spot  wore  an  aspect  of  peace  and  plenty, 
and,  as  we  dropped  our  anchor  within  a  stone's  cast  of  the 
substantial  coral  wharf,  I  could  not  avoid  contrasting  it 
with  the  wretched  village  of  Emo,  where  I  had  witnessed 
so  many  frightful  scenes.  "When  the  teacher  afterwards 
told  me  that  the  people  of  this  tribe  had  become  converts 
only  a  year  previous  to  our  arrival,  and  that  they  had 
been  living  before  that  in  the  practice  of  the  most  bloody 
system  of  idolatry,  I  could  not  refrain  from  exclaiming, 
"  What  a  convincing  proof  that  Christianity  is  of  God !  " 

On  landing  from  our  little  boat,  we  were  received  with 
a  warm  welcome  by  the  teacher  and  his  wife ;  the  latter 


298  THE  COEAL  ISLAND. 

being  also  a  native,  clothed  in  a  simple  European  gown 
and  straw  bonnet.  The  shore  was  lined  with  hundreds 
of  natives,  whose  persons  were  all  more  or  less  clothed 
with  native  cloth.  Some  of  the  men  had  on  a  kind  of 
poncho  formed  of  this  cloth,  their  legs  being  uncovered. 
Others  wore  clumsily-fashioned  trousers,  and  no  upper 
garment  except  hats  made  of  straw  and  cloth.  Many  of 
the  dresses,  both  of  women  and  men,  were  grotesque 
enough,  being  very  bad  imitations  of  the  European  garb  ; 
but  all  wore  a  dress  of  some  sort  or  other.  They  seemed 
very  glad  to  see  us,  and  crowded  round  us  as  the  teacher 
led  the  way  to  his  dwelling,  where  we  were  entertained,  in 
the  most  sumptuous  manner,  on  baked  pig  and  all  the  va- 
rieties of  fruits  and  vegetables  that  the  island  produced. 
We  were  much  annoyed,  however,  by  the  rats :  they 
seemed  to  run  about  the  house  like  domestic  animals. 
As  we  sat  at  table,  one  of  them  peeped  up  at  us  over  the 
edge  of  the  cloth,  close  to  Peterkin's  elbow,  who  floored 
it  with  a  blow  on  the  snout  from  his  knife,  exclaiming  as 
he  did  so  — 

"  I  say,  Mister  teacher,  why  don't  you  set  traps  for 
these  brutes  ?  —  surely  you  are  not  fond  of  them  !  " 

"  No,"  replied  the  teacher,  with  a  smile  ;  "  we  would 
be  glad  to  get  rid  of  them  if  we  could  ;  but  if  we  were 
to  trap  all  the  rats  on  the  island,  it  would  occupy  our 
whole  time." 

"  Are  they  then  so  numerous  ?  "  inquired  Jack. 

"  They  swarm  everywhere.  The  poor  heathens  on  the 
north  side  eat  them,  and  think  them  very  sweet.  So  did 
my  people  formerly  ;  but  they  do  not  eat  so  many  now, 
because  the  missionary  who  was  last  here  expressed  dis- 
gust at  it.  The  poor  people  asked  if  it  was  wrong  to  eat 
rats  ;  and  he  told  them  that  it  was  certainly  not  wrong, 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  299 

but  that  the  people  of  England  would  be  much  disgusted 
were  they  asked  to  eat  rats." 

We  had  not  been  an  hour  in  the  house  of  this  kind- 
hearted  man  when  we  were  qonvinced  of  the  truth  of  his 
statement  as  io  their  numbers,  for  the  rats  ran  about  the 
floors  in  dozens,  and  during  our  meal,  two  men  were  sta- 
tioned at  the  table  to  keep  them  off! 

"  What  a  pity  you  have  no  cats,"  said  Peterkin,  as  he 
aimed  a  blow  at  another  reckless  intruder,  and  missed  it. 

"  We  would,  indeed,  be  glad  to  have  a  few,"  rejoined 
the  teacher,  "  but  they  are  difficult  to  be  got.  The  hogs, 
we  find,  are  very  good  rat-killers,  but  they  do  not  seem  to 
be  able  to  keep  the  numbers  down.  I  have  heard  that 
they  are  better  than  cats." 

As  the  teacher  said  this,  his  good-natured  black  face 
was  wrinkled  with  a  smile  of  merriment.  Observing  that 
I  had  noticed  it,  he  said  :  — 

u  I  smiled  just  now  when  I  remembered  the  fate  of  the 
first  cat  that  was  taken  to  Raratonga.  This  is  one  of  the 
stations  of  the  London  Missionary  Society.  It,  like  our 
own,  is  infested  with  rats,  and  a  cat  was  brought  at  last 
to  the  island.  It  was  a  large  black  one.  On  being 
turned  loose,  instead  of  being  content  to  stay  among  men, 
the  cat  took  to  the  mountains,  and  lived  in  a  wild  state, 
sometimes  paying  visits  during  the  night  to  the  houses  of 
the  natives ;  some  of  whom,  living  at  a  distance  from  the 
settlement,  had  not  heard  of  the  cat's  arrival,  and  were 
dreadfully  frightened  in  consequence,  calling  it  a  '  monster 
of  the  deep,'  and  flying  in  terror  away  from  it.  One 
night  the  cat,  feeling  a  desire  for  company,  I  suppose, 
took  its  way  to  the  house  of  a  chief,  who  had  recently 
been  converted  to  Christianity,  and  had  begun  to  learn  to 
read  and  pray.     The  chiefs  wife,  who  was  sitting  awake 


300  •      THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

at  his  side  while  he  slept,  beheld  with  horror  two  fires 
glistening  in  the  doorway,  and  heard  with  surprise  a  mys- 
terious voice.  Almost  petrified  with  fear,  she  awoke  her 
husband  and  began  to  upbraid  him  for  forsaking  his  old 
religion,  and  burning  his  god,  who,  she  declared,  was 
now  come  to  be  avenged  of  them.  '  Get  up  and  pray  ! 
get  up  and  pray ! '  she  cried.  The  chief  arose,  and,  on 
opening  his  eyes,  beheld  the  same  glaring  lights,  and 
heard  the  same  ominous  sound.  Impelled  by  the  ex- 
treme urgency  of  the  case,  he  commenced,  with  all  possi- 
ble vehemence,  to  vociferate  the  alphabet,  as  a  prayer  to 
God  to  deliver  them  from  the  vengeance  of  Satan  !  On 
hearing  this,  the  cat,  as  much  alarmed  as  themselves,  fled 
precipitately  away,  leaving  the  chief  and  his  wife  con- 
gratulating themselves  on  the  efficacy  of  their  prayer." 

We  were  much  diverted  with  this  anecdote,  which  the 
teacher  related  in  English  so  good,  that  we  certainly 
could  not  have  supposed  him  a  native  but  for  the  color 
of  his  face  and  the  foreign  accent  in  his  tone.  Next  day 
we  walked  out  with  this  interesting  man,  and  were  much 
entertained  and  instructed  by  his  conversation,  as  we 
rambled  through  the  cool,  shady  groves  of  bananas,  cit- 
rons, limes,  and  other  trees,  or  sauntered  among  the  cot- 
tages of  the  natives,  and  watched  them  while  they  labored 
diligently  in  the  taro  beds,  or  manufactured  the  tapa  or 
native  cloth.  To  some  of  these  Jack  put  questions 
through  the  medium  of  the  missionary ;  and  the  replies 
were  such  as  to  surprise  us  at  the  extent  of  their  knowl- 
edge. Indeed,  Peterkin  very  truly  remarked  that  "  they 
seemed  to  know  a  considerable  deal  more  than  Jack 
himself!" 

Among  other  pieces  of  interesting  information  that 
we  obtained  was  the  following,  in  regard  to  coral  forma- 
tions :  — 


THE  COKAL  ISLAND.  301 

"  The  islands  of  the  Pacific,"  said  our  friend,  "  are  of 
three  different  kinds  or  classes.  Those  of  the  first  class 
are  volcanic,  mountainous,  and  wild ;  some  shooting  their 
jagged  peaks  into  the  clouds  at  an  elevation  of  ten  and 
fifteen  thousand  feet.  Those  of  the  second  class  are  of 
crystallized  limestone,  and  vary  in  height  from  one  hun- 
dred to  five  hundred  feet.  The  hills  on  these  are  not  so 
wild  or  broken  as  those  of  the  first  class,  but  are  richly 
clothed  with  vegetation,  and  very  beautiful.  I  have  no 
doubt  that  the  Coral  Island  on  which  you  were  wrecked 
was  one  of  this  class.  They  are  supposed  to  have  been 
upheaved  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea  by  volcanic  agency, 
but  they  are  not  themselves  volcanic  in  their  nature, 
neither  are  they  of  coral  formation.  Those  of  the  third 
class  are  the  low  coralline  islands  usually  having  lagoons 
of  water  in  their  midst ;  they  are  very  numerous. 

"As  to  the  manner  in  which  coral  islands  and  reefs  are 
formed  ;  there  are  various  opinions  on  this  point.  I  will 
give  you  what  seems  to  me  the  most  probable  theory,  — 
a  theory,  I  may  add,  which  is  held  by  some  of  the  good 
and  scientific  missionaries.  It  is  well  known  that  there  is 
much  lime  in  salt  water  ;  it  is  also  known  that  coral  is 
composed  of  lime.  It  is  supposed  that  the  polypes,  or 
coral  insects,  have  the  power  of  attracting  this  lime  to 
their  bodies  ;  and  with  this  material  they  build  their  little 
cells  or  habitations.  They  choose  the  summit  of  a  vol- 
cano, or  the  top  of  a  submarine  mountain,  as  a  foundation 
on  which  to  build ;  for  it  is  found  that  they  never  work 
at  any  great  depth  below  the  surface.  On  this  they  work ; 
the  polypes  on  the  mountain  top,  of  course,  reach  the 
surface  first,  then  those  at  the  outer  edges  reach  the  top 
sooner  than  the  others  between  them  and  the  centre,  thus 
forming  the  coral  reef  surrounding  the  lagoon  of  water 


302  THE  CORAL  ISLAND.. 

and  the  central  island ;  after  that  the  insects  within  the 
lagoon  cease  working.  When  the  surface  of  the  water 
is  reached,  these  myriads  of  wonderful  creatures  die. 
Then  birds  visit  the  spot,  and  seeds  are  thus  conveyed 
thither,  which  take  root,  and  spring  up  and  flourish. 
Thus  are  commenced  those  coral-line  islets  of  which  you 
have  seen  so  many  in  these  seas.  The  reefs  round  the 
large  islands  are  formed  in  a  similar  manner.  When  we 
consider,"  added  the  missionary,  "  the  smallness  of  the 
architects  used  by  our  heavenly  Father  in  order  to  form 
those  lovely  and  innumerable  islands,  we  are  filled  with 
much  of  that  feeling  which  induced  the  ancient  king  to 
exclaim,  '  How  manifold,  0  God,  are  thy  works  !  in  wis- 
dom thou  hast  made  them  all.' " 

We  all  heartily  agreed  with  the  missionary  in  this 
sentiment,  and  felt  not  a  little  gratified  to  find  that  the 
opinions  which  Jack  and  I  had  been  led  to  form  from 
personal  observation  on  our  Coral  Island  were  thus  to  a 
great  extent  corroborated. 

The  missionary  also  gave  us  an  account  of  the  manner 
in  which  Christianity  had  been  introduced  among  them. 
He  said :  "  When  missionaries  were  first  sent  here,  three 
years  ago,  a  small  vessel  brought  them ;  and  the  chief, 
who  is  now  dead,  promised  to  treat  well  the  two  native 
teachers  who  wrere  left  with  their  wives  on  the  island. 
But  scarcely  had  the  boat  which  landed  them  returned  to 
the  ship,  than  the  natives  began  to  maltreat  their  guests, 
taking  away  all  they  possessed,  and  offering  them  further 
violence,  so  that,  when  the  boat  was  sent  in  haste  to  fetch 
them  away,  the  clothes  of  both  men  and  women  were 
torn  nearly  off  their  backs. 

"  Two  years  after  this  the  vessel  visited  them  again, 
and  I,  being  in  her,  volunteered  to  land'^lone,  without 


THE   COEAL  ISLAND.  303 

any  goods  whatever ;  begging  that  my  wife  might  be 
brought  to  me  the  following  year, —  that  is,  this  year; 
and  as  you  see,  she  is  with  me.  But  the  surf  was  so 
high  that  the  boat  could  not  land  me ;  so  with  nothing  on 
but  my  trousers  and  shirt,  and  with  a  few  catechisms  and 
a  Bible,  besides  some  portions  of  the  Scripture  trans- 
lated into  the  Mango  tongue,  I  sprang  into  the  sea,  and 
swam  ashore  on  the  crest  of  a  breaker.  I  was  instantly 
dragged  up  the  beach  by  the  natives  ;  who,  on  finding 
I  had  nothing  worth  having  upon  me,  let  me  alone.  I 
then  made  signs  to  my  friends  in  the  ship  to  leave  me  ; 
which  they  did.  At  first  the  natives  listened  to  me  in 
silence,  but  laughed  at  what  I  said  while  I  preached  the 
gospel  of  our  blessed  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  to  them.  Af- 
terwards they  treated  me  ill  sometimes  ;  but  I  perse- 
vered, and  continued  to  dwell  among  them,  and  dispute, 
and  exhort  them  to  give  up  their  sinful  ways  of  life,  burn 
their  idols,  and  come  to  Jesus. 

"  About  a  month  after  I  landed,  I  heard  that  the  chief 
was  dead.  He  was  the  father  of  the  present  chief,  who 
is  now  a  most  consistent  member  of  the  church.  It  is  a 
custom  here  that,  when  a  chief  dies,  his  wives  are  stran- 
gled and  buried  with  him.  Knowing  this,  I  hastened  to 
his  house  to  endeavor  to  prevent  such  cruelty  if  possible. 
When  I  arrived,  I  found  two  of  the  wives  had  already 
been  killed,  while  another  was  in  the  act  of  being  stran- 
gled. I  pleaded  hard  for  her,  but  it  was  too  late ;  she 
was  already  dead.  I  then  entreated  the  son  to  spare  the 
fourth  wife ;  and,  after  much  hesitation,  my  prayer  was 
granted ;  but,  in  half  an  hour  afterwards,  this  poor  woman 
repented  of  being  unfaithful,  as  she  termed  it,  to  her  hus- 
band, and  insisted  on  being  strangled  ;  which  was  accord- 
ingly done. 


304  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

"  All  this  time  the  chief's  son  was  walking  up  and 
down  before  his  father's  house  with  a  brow  black  as  thun- 
der. When  he  entered,  I  went  in  with  him,  and  found, 
to  my  surprise,  that  his  father  was  not  dead !  The  old 
man  was  sitting  on  a  mat  in  a  corner,  with  an  expression 
of  placid  resignation  on  his  face. 

«*  <  Why,'  said  I,  '  have  you  strangled  your  father's 
wives  before  he  is  dead  ? ' 

"  To  this  the  son  replied,  '  He  is  dead.  That  is  no 
longer  my  father.  He  is  as  good  as  dead  now.  He  is  to 
be  buried  alive' 

"  I  now  remembered  having  heard  that  it  is  a  custom 
among  the  Feejee  islanders,  that  when  the  reigning  chief 
grows  old  or  infirm,  the  heir  to  the  chieftainship  has  a 
right  to  depose  his  father ;  in  which  case  he  is  considered 
as  dead,  and  is  buried  alive.  The  young  chief  was  now 
about  to  follow  this  custom,  and  despite  my  earnest  en- 
treaties and  pleadings,  the  old  chief  was  buried  that  day 
before  my  eyes  in  the  same  grave  with  his  four  strangled 
wives  !  Oh  !  my  heart  groaned  when  I  saw  this,  and  I 
prayed  to  God  to  open  the  hearts  of  these  poor  creatures, 
as  he  had  already  opened  mine,  and  pour  into  them  the 
light  and  the  love  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus.  My  prayer  was 
answered  very  soon.  A  week  afterwards,  the  son,  who 
was  now  chief  of  the  tribe,  came  to  me,  bearing  his  god 
on  his  shoulders,  and  groaning  beneath  its  weight.  Fling- 
ing  it  down  at  my  feet,  he  desired  me  to  burn  it ! 

"  You  may  conceive  how  overjoyed  I  was  at  this.  I 
sprang  up  and  embraced  him,  while  I  shed  tears  of  joy. 
Then  we  made  a  fire,  and  burned  the  god  to  ashes,  amid 
an  immense  concourse  of  the  people,  who  seemed  terri- 
fied at  what  was  being  done,  and  shrank  back  when  we 
burned  the  god,  expecting  some  signal  vengeance  to  be 


THE  COEAL  ISLAND.  305 

taken  upon  us ;  but  seeing  that  nothing  happened,  they 
changed  their  minds,  and  thought  that  our  God  must  be 
the  true  one  after  all.  From  that  time  the  mission  pros- 
pered steadily,  and  now,  while  there  is  not  a  single  man 
in  the  tribe  who  has  not  burned  his  household  gods,  and 
become  a  convert  to  Christianity,  there  are  not  a  few,  I 
hope,  who  are  true  followers  of  the  Lamb,  having  been 
plucked  as  brands  from  the  burning  by  Him  who  can 
save  unto  the  uttermost.  I  will  not  tell  you  more  of  our 
progress  at  this  time,  but  you  see,"  he  said,  waving  his 
hand  around  him,  "  the  village  and  the  church  did  not  ex- 
ist  a  year  ago  !  " 

We  were  indeed  much  interested  in  this  account,  and 
I  could  not  help  again  in  my  heart  praying  God  to  pros- 
per those  missionary  societies  that  send  such  inestimable 
blessings  to  these  islands  of  dark  and  bloody  idolatry. 
The  teacher  also  added  that  the  other  tribes  were  very 
indignant  at  this  one  for  having  burned  its  gods,  and 
threatened  to  destroy  it  altogether,  but  they  had  done 
nothing  yet ;  "  and  if  they  should,"  said  the  teacher,  "  the 
Lord  is  on  our  side  ;  of  whom  shall  we  be  afraid  ?  " 

"  Have  the  missionaries  many  stations  in  these  seas  ?  " 
inquired  Jack. 

"  Oh,  yes.  The  London  Missionary  Society  have  a 
great  many  in  the  Tahiti  group,  and  other  islands  in  that 
quarter.  Then  the  Wesleyans  have  the  Feejee  Islands 
all  to  themselves,  and  the  Americans  have  many  stations 
in  other  groups.  But  still,  my  friend,  there  are  hun- 
dreds of  islands  here  the  natives  of  which  have  never 
heard  of  Jesus,  or  the  good  word  of  God,  or  the  Holy 
Spirit ;  and  thousands  are  living  and  dying  in  the  prac- 
tice of  those  terrible  sins  and  bloody  murders  of  which 
you  have  already  heard.  I  trust,  my  friends,"  he  added 
20 


30%  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

looking  earnestly  into  our  faces,  "  I  trust  that  if  you  ever 
return  to  England,  you  will  tell  your  Christian  friends 
that  the  horrors  which  they  hear  of  in  regard  to  these 
islands  are  literally  true,  and  that  when  they  have  heard 
the  worst,  the  ' half  has  not  been  told  them;'  for  there 
are  perpetrated  here  foul  deeds  of  darkness  of  which 
man  may  not  speak,  You  may  also  tell  them,"  he  said, 
looking  around  with  a  smile,  while  a  tear  of  gratitude 
trembled  in  his  eye,  and  rolled  down  his  coal-black 
cheek,  —  "  tell  them  of  the  blessings  that  the  gospel  has 
wrought  here  !  "  * 

We  assured  our  friend  that  we  would  certainly  not 
forget  his  request.  On  returning  towards  the  village, 
about  noon,  we  remarked  on  the  beautiful  whiteness  of 
the  cottages. 

"  That  is  owing  to  the  lime  with  which  they  are  plas- 
tered," said  the  teacher.  "  When  the  natives  were  con- 
verted, as  I  have  described,  I  set  them  to  work  to  build 
cottages  for  themselves,  and  also  this  handsome  church 
which  you  see.  When  the  framework  and  other  parts  of 
the  houses  were  up,  I  sent  the  people  to  fetch  coral  from 
the  sea.  They  brought  immense  quantities.  Then  I 
made  them  cut  wood,  and,  piling  the  coral  above  it,  set  it 
on  fire. 

" *  Look !  look  ! '  cried  the  poor  people  in  amazement ; 
'  what  wonderful  people  the  Christian's  are!  He  is  roast- 
ing stones.  We  shall  not  need  taro  or  bread-fruit  any 
more :  we  may  eat  stones  ! ' 

"  But  their  surprise  was  still  greater  when  the  coral 
was  reduced  to  a  fine,  soft,  white  powder.  They  imme- 
diately set  up  a  great  shout,  and,  mingling  the  lime  with 
water,  rubbed  their  faces  and  their  bodies  all  over  with 
it,  and  ran  though  the   village  screaming  with  delight. 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  307 

They  were  also  much  surprised  at  another  thing  they 
saw  me  do.  I  wished  to  make  some  household  furniture, 
and  constructed  a  turning-lathe  to  assist  me.  The  first 
thing  that  I  turned  was  the  leg  of  a  sofa;  which  was  no 
sooner  finished  than  the  chief  seized  it  with  wonder  and 
delight,  and  ran  through  the  village  exhibiting  it  to  the 
people,  who  looked  upon  it  with  great  admiration.  The 
chief  then,  tying  a  string  to  it,  hung  it  round  his  neck  as 
an  ornament!  He  afterwards  told  me  that  if  he  had 
seen  it  before  he  became  a  Christian,  he  would  have 
made  it  his  god  !  " 

As  the  teacher  concluded  this  anecdote  we  reached  his 
door.  Saying  that  he  had  business  to  attend  to,  he  left 
us  to  amuse  ourselves  as  we  best  could. 

"  Now,  lads,"  said  Jack,  turning  abruptly  towards  us, 
and  buttoning  up  his  jacket  as  he  spoke,  "  I'm  off  to  see 
the  battle.  I've  no  particular  fondness  for  seein'  blood- 
shed, but  I  must  find  out  the  nature  o'  these  fellows  and 
see  their  customs  with  my  own  eyes,  so  that  I  may  be 
able  to  speak  of  it  again,  if  need  be,  authoritatively.  It's 
only  six  miles  off,  and  we  don't  run  much  more  risk  than 
that  of  getting  a  rap  with  a  stray  stone  or  an  overshot; 
arrow.     Will  you  go  ?  " 

"  To  be  sure  we  will,"  said  Peterkin. 

"  If  they  chance  to  see  us  we'll  cut  and  run  for  it,"' 
added  Jack. 

"  Dear  me  !  "  cried  Peterkin,  —  "you  run  I  I  thought 
you  would  scorn  to  run  from  any  one." 

"  So  I  would,  if  it  were  my  duty  to  fight,"  returned 
Jack,  coolly  ;  "  but  as  I  don't  want  to  fight,  and  don't 
intend  to  fight,  if  they  offer  to  attack  us  I'll  run  away 
like  the  veriest  coward  that  ever  went  by  the  name  of 
Peterkin.     So  come  along:." 


308  THE   COEAL  ISLAND. 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 

A  STRANGE  AND  BLOODS  BATTLE  —  THE  LION  BEARDED  IN  HIS 
DEN  —  FRIGHTFUL  SCENES  OF  CRUELTY.  AND  FEARS  FOR  THE 
FUTURE. 

WE  had  ascertained  from  the  teacher  the  direction 
to  the  spot  on  which  the  battle  was  to  be  fought, 
and  after  a  walk  of  two  hours  reached  ir.  The  summit 
of  a  bare  hill  was  the  place  chosen  ;  for,  unlike  most 
of  the  other  islanders,  who  are  addicted  to  bush-fighting, 
those  of  Mango  are  in  the  habit  of  meeting  on  open 
ground.  We  arrived  before  the  two  parties  had  com- 
menced the  deadly  struggle,  and,  creeping  as  close  up 
as  we  dared  among  the  rocks,  we  lay  and  watched 
them. 

The  combatants  were  drawn  up  face  to  face,  each  side 
ranged  in  rank  four  deep.  Those  in  the  first  row  were 
armed  with  long  spears ;  the  second,  with  clubs  to  defend 
the  spearmen ;  the  third  row  was  composed  of  young 
men  with  slings  ;  and  the  fourth  consisted  of  women, 
who  carried  baskets  of  stones  for  the  slingers,  and  elubs 
and  spears  with  which  to  supply  the  warriors.  Soon 
after  we  arrived,  the  attack  was  made  with  great  fury. 
There  was  no  science  displayed.  The  two  bodies  of  sav- 
ages rushed  headlong  upon  each  other  and  engaged  in  a 
general  melee,  and  a  more  dreadful  set  of  men  I  have 
never  seen.  They  wore  grotesque  war-caps  made  of 
various  substances  and  decorated  with  feathers.  Their 
faces  and  bodies  were  painted  so  as  to  make  them  look 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  309 

as  frightful  as  possible  ;  and  as  they  brandished  their 
massive  clubs,  leaped,  shouted,  yelled,  and  dashed  each 
other  to  the  ground,  I  thought  I  had  never  seen  men 
look  so  like  demons  before. 

We  were  much  surprised  at  the  conduct  of  the  women, 
who  seemed  to  be  perfect  furies,  and  hung  about  the 
heels  of  their  husbands  in  order  to  defend  them.  One 
stout  young  woman  we  saw,  whose  husband  was  hard 
pressed  and  about  to  be  overcome  ;  she  lifted  a  large 
stone,  and  throwing  it  at  his  opponent's  head,  felled  him 
to  the  earth.  But  the  battle  did  not  last  long.  The 
band  most  distant  from  us*  gave  way  and  were  routed, 
leaving  eighteen  of  their  comrades  dead  upon  the  field. 
These  the  victors  brained  as  they  lay ;  and  putting  some 
of  their  brains  on  leaves  went  off  with  them,  we  were 
afterwards  informed,  to  their  temples,  to  present  them  to 
their  gods  as  an  earnest  of  the  human  victims  who  were 
soon  to  be  brought  there. 

"We  hastened  back  to  the  Christian  village  with  feel- 
ings of  the  deepest  sadness  at  the  sanguinary  conflict 
which  we  had  just  witnessed. 

Next  day,  after  breakfasting  with  our  friend  the 
teacher,  we  made  preparations  for  carrying  out  our  plan. 
At  first  the  teacher  endeavored  to  dissuade  us. 

"  You  do  not  know,"  said  he,  turning  to  Jack,  "  the 
danger  you  run  in  venturing  amongst  these  ferocious 
savages.  I  feel  much  pity  for  poor  Avatea  ;  but  you  are 
not  likely  to  succeed  in  saving  her,  and  you  may  die  in 
the  attempt." 

'•  Well,"  said  Jack,  quietly,  "  I  am  not  afraid  to  die  in 
a  good  cause." 

The  teacher  smiled  approvingly  at  him  as  he  said  this, 
and  after  a  little  further  conversation  agreed  to  accom- 


310  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

pany  us  as  interpreter ;  saying  that,  although  Tararo  was 
unfriendly  to  him,  he  had  hitherto  treated  him  with 
respect. 

"We  now  went  on  board  the  schooner,  having  resolved 
to  sail  round  the  island  and  drop  anchor  opposite  the 
heathen  village.  We  manned  her  with  natives,  and 
hoped  to  overawe  the  savages  by  displaying  our  brass 
gun  to  advantage.  The  teacher  soon  after  came  on  board, 
and  setting  our  sails  we  put  to  sea.  In  two  hours  more 
we  made  the  cliffs  reverberate  with  the  crash  of  the  big 
gun,  which  we  fired  by  way  of  salute,  while  we  ran  the 
British  ensign  up  to  the  peak  and  cast  anchor  The 
commotion  on  shore  showed  us  that  we  had  struck  terror 
into  the  hearts  of  the  natives  ;  but  seeing  that  we  did  not 
offer  to  molest  them,  a  canoe  at  length  put  off  and  pad- 
dled cautiously  towards  us.  The  teacher  showed  him- 
self, and  explaining  that  we  were  friends  and  wished  to 
palaver  with  the  chief,  desired  the  native  to  go  and  tell 
him  to  come  on  board. 

We  waited  long  and  with  much  impatience  for  an  an- 
swer. During  this  time  the  native  teacher  conversed 
with  us  again,  and  told  us  many  things  concerning  the 
success  of  the  gospel  among  those  islands  ;  and  perceiv- 
ing that  we  were  by  no  means  so  much  gratified  as  we 
ought  to  have  been  at  the  hearing  of  such  good  news,  he 
pressed  us  more  closely  in  regard  to  our  personal  interest 
in  religion,  and  exhorted  us  to  consider  that  our  souls 
were  certainly  in  as  great  danger  as  those  of  the  wretch- 
ed heathen  whom  we  pitied  so  much,  if  we  had  not  al- 
ready found  salvation  in  Jesus  Christ.  "  Nay,  further," 
he  added,  "  if  such  be  your  unhappy  case,  you  are,  in 
the  sight  of  God,  much  worse  than  these  savages  (forgive 
me,  my  young  friends,  for  saying  so)  ;  for  they  have  no 


THE   COEAL  ISLAND.  311 

knowledge,  no  light,  and  do  not  profess  to  believe  ;  while 
you,  on  the  contrary,  have  been  brought  up  in  the  light 
of  the  blessed  gospel  and  call  yourselves  Christians. 
These  poor  savages  are  indeed  the  enemies  of  our  Lord ; 
but  you,  if  ye  be  not  true  believers,  are  traitors  !  " 

I  must  confess  that  my  heart  condemned  me  while  the 
teacher  spoke  in  this  earnest  manner,  and  I  knew  not 
what  to  reply.  Peterkin,  too,  did  not  seem  to  like  it, 
and  I  thought  would  willingly  have  escaped  ;  but  Jack 
seemed  deeply  impressed,  and  wore  an  anxious  expres- 
sion on  his  naturally  grave  countenance,  while  he  as- 
sented to  the  teacher's  remarks  and  put  to  him  many 
earnest  questions.  Meanwhile  the  natives  who  composed 
our  crew,  having  nothing  particular  to  do,  had  squatted 
down  on  the  deck  and  taken  out  their  little  books' con- 
taining the  translated  portions  of  the  New  Testament, 
along  with  hymns  and  spelling-books,  and  were  now 
busily  engaged,  some  vociferating  the  alphabet,  others 
learning  prayers  off  by  heart,  while  a  few  sang  hymns,  — 
all  of  them  being  utterly  unmindful  of  our  presence. 
The  teacher  soon  joined  them,  and  soon  afterwards  they 
all  engaged  in  a  prayer  which  was  afterwards  trans- 
lated to  us,  and  proved  to  be  a  petition  for  the  suc- 
cess of  our  undertaking  and  for  the  conversion  of  the 
heathen. 

While  we  were  thus  engaged  a  canoe  put  off  from 
shore  and  several  savages  leaped  on  deck,  one  of  whom 
advanced  to  the  teacher  and  informed  him  that  Tararo 
could  not  come  on  board  that  day,  being- busy  with  some 
religious  ceremonies  before  the  gods,  which  could  on  no 
account  be  postponed.  He  was  also  engaged  with  a 
friendly  chief  who  was  about  to  take  his  departure  from 
the  island,  and  therefore  begged  that  the   teacher  and 


312  THE   COEAL  ISLAND. 

lii?  friends  would  land  and  pay  a  visit  to  him.  To  this 
the  teacher  returned  answer  that  we  would  land  imme- 
diately. 

"  Now,  lads, "  said  Jack,  as  we  were  about  to  step  into 
our  little  boat,  "  I'm  not  going  to  take  any  weapons  with 
me,  and  I  recommend  you  to  take. none  either.  "We  are 
altogether  in  the  power  of  these  savages,  and  the  utmost 
we  could  do,  if  they  were  to  attack  us,  would  be  to  kill  a 
few  of  them  before  we  were  ourselves  overpowered.  I 
think  that  our  only  chance  of  success  lies  in  mild  meas- 
ures.    Don't  you  think  so  ?  " 

To  this  I  assented  gladly,  and  Peterkin  replied  by  lay- 
ing down  a  huge  bell-mouthed  blunderbuss,  and  divesting 
himself  of  a  pair  of  enormous  horse-pistols  with  which 
he  had  purposed  to  overawe  the  natives!  We  then 
jumped  into  our  boat  and  rowed  ashore. 

On  reaching  the  beach  we  were  received  by  a  crowd  of 
naked  savages,  who  shouted  a  rude  welcome,  and  con- 
ducted us  to  a  house  or  shed  where  a  baked  pig  and  a 
variety  of  vegetables  were  prepared  for  us.  Having  par- 
taken of  these,  the  teacher  begged  to  be  conducted  to  the 
chief;  but  there  seemed  some  hesitation,  and  after  some 
consultation  among  themselves,  one  of  the  men  stood  for- 
ward and  spoke  to  the  teacher. 

"  What  says  he  ?  "  inquired  Jack  when  the  savage  had 
concluded. 

"  He  says  that  the  chief  is  just  going  to  the  temple  of 
his  god  and  cannot  see  us  yet ;  so  we  must  be  patient,  my 
friend." 

"  Well,"  cried  Jack,  rising  ;  "  if  he  won't  come  to  see 
me,  I'll  e'en  go  and  see  him.  Besides,  I  have  a  great 
desire  to  witness  their  proceedings  at  this  temple  of  theirs. 
Will  you  go  with  me,  friend  ?  " 


THE  COKAL  ISLAND.  313 

u  I  cannot,"  said  the  teacher,  shaking  his  head  ;  "  I 
must  not  go  to  the  heathen  temples  and  witness  their  in- 
human rites,  except  for  the  purpose  of  condemning  their 
wickedness  and  folly." 

"Very  good,"  returned  Jack  ;  "then  I'll  go  alone, fori 
cannot  condemn  their  doings  till  I  have  seen  them." 

Jack  arose,  and  we,  having  determined  to  go  also,  fol- 
lowed him  through  the  banana  groves  to  a  rising  ground 
immediately  behind  the  village,  on  the  top  of  which  stood 
the  Bure,  or  temple,  under  the  dark  shade  of  a  group  of 
iron-wood  trees.  As  we  went  through  the  village,  I  was 
again  led  to  contrast  the  rude  huts  and  sheds,  and  their 
almost  naked  savage-looking  inhabitants,  with  the  natives 
of  the  Christian  village,  who,  to  use  the  teacher's  scrip- 
tural expression,  were  now  "  clothed  and  in  their  right 
mind." 

As  we  turned  into  a  broad  path  leading  towards  the 
hill,  we  were  arrested  by  the  shouts  of  an  approaching 
multitude  in  the  rear.  Drawing  aside  into  the  bushes 
we  awaited  their  coming  up,  and  as  they  drew  near  we 
observed  that  it  was  a  procession  of  the  natives,  many  of 
whom  were  dancing  and  gesticulating  in  the  most  frantic 
manner.  They  had  an  exceedingly  hideous  aspect,  owing 
to  the  black,  red,  and  yellow  paints  with  which  their  faces 
and  naked  bodies  were  bedaubed.  In  the  midst  of  these 
came  a  band  of  men  carrying  three  or  four  planks,  on 
which  were  seated  in  rows  upwards  of  a  dozen  men.  I 
shuddered  involuntarily  as  I  recollected  the  sacrifice  of 
human  victims  at  the  island  of  Emo,  and  turned  with  a 
look  of  fear  to  Jack  as  I  said,  — 

"  Oh,  Jack  !  I  have  a  terrible  dread  that  they  are  going 
to  commit  some  of  their  cruel  practices  on  these  wretched 
men.     ^Ye  had  better  not  go  to  the  temple.     We  shall 


314  THE    CORAL  ISLAND. 

only  be  horrified  without  being  able  to  do  any  good,  for  I 
fear  they  are  going  to  kill  them."' 

Jack's  face  wore  an  expression  of  deep  compassion  as 
he  said,  in  a  low  voice,  "  No  fear,  Ralph ;  the  sufferings 
of  these  poor  fellows  are  over  long  ago." 

I  turned  with  a  start  as  he  spoke,  and,  glancing  at  the 
men,  who  were  now  quite  near  to  the  spot  where  we 
stood,  saw  that  they  were  all  dead.  They  were  tied 
firmly  with  ropes  in  a  sitting  posture  on  the  planks,  and 
seemed,  as  they  bent  their  sightless  eyeballs  and  grinning 
months  over  the  dancing  crew  below7,  as  if  they  were 
laughing  in  ghastly  mockery  at  the  utter  inability  of  their 
enemies  to  hurt  them  now.  These,  we  discovered  after- 
wards, were  the  men  who  had  been  slain  in  the  battle  of 
the  previous  day,  and  were  now  on  their  way  to  be  first 
presented  to  the  gods,  and  then  eaten.  Behind  these 
came  two  men  leading  between  them  a  third,  whose  hands 
were  pinioned  behind  his  back.  Pie  walked  with  a  firm 
step,  and  wore  a  look  of  utter  indifference  on  his  face,  as 
they  led  him  along ;  so  that  we  concluded  he  must  be  a 
criminal  who  was  about  to  receive  some  slight  punishment 
for  his  faults.  The  rear  of  the  procession  was  brought 
up  by  a  shouting  crowd  of  women  and  children,  with 
whom  we  mingled  and  followed  to  the  temple. 

Here  we  arrived  in  a  few  minutes.  The  temple  was  a 
tall  circular  building,  open  at  one  side.  Around  it  were 
strewn  heaps  of  human  bones  and  skulls.  At  a  table  in- 
side sat  the  priest,  an  elderly  man,  with  a  long  gray  beard. 
He  was  seated  on  a  stool,  and  before  him  lay  several 
knives,  made  of  wood,  bone,  and  splinters  of  bamboo, 
with  which  he  performed  his  office  of  dissecting  dead 
bodies.  Farther  in  lay  a  variety  of  articles  that  had 
been  dedicated  to  the  god,  and  among  them  were  many 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  315 

spears  and  clubs.  I  observed  among  the  latter  some  with 
human  teeth  sticking  in  them,  where  the  victims  had  been 
clubbed  in  their  mouths. 

Before  this  temple  the  bodies,  which  were  painted  with 
vermilion  and  soot,  were  arranged  in  a  sitting  posture  ; 
and  a  man,  called  a  "dan-vosa"  (orator),  advanced,  and, 
laying  his  hands  on  their  heads,  began  to  chide  them, 
apparently,  in  a  low  bantering  tone.  What  he  said  we 
knew  not,  but,  as  he  went  on,  he  waxed  warm,  and  at  last 
shouted  to  them  at  the  top  of  his  lungs,  and  finally  finished 
by  kicking  the  bodies  over  and  running  away,  amid  the 
shouts  and  laughter  of  the  people,  who  now  rushed  for- 
ward. Seizing  the  bodies  by  a  leg,  or  an  arm,  or  by  the 
hair  of  the  head,  they  dragged  them  over  stumps  and 
stones  and  through  sloughs,  until  they  were  exhausted. 
The  bodies  were  then  brought  back  to  the  temple  and 
dissected  by  the  priest,  after  which  they  were  taken  out 
to  be  baked. 

Close  to  the  temple  a  large  fire  was  kindled,  in  which 
stones  were  heated  red  hot.  When  ready  these  were 
spread  out  on  the  ground,  and  a  thick  coating  of  leaves 
strewn  over  them  to  slack  the  heat.  On  this  "  lovo,"  or 
oven,  the  bodies  were  then  placed,  covered  over,  and  left 
to  bake. 

The  crowd  now  ran,  with  terrible  yells,  towards  a 
neighboring  hill  or  mound,  on  which  we  observed  the 
framework  of  a  house  lying  ready  to  be  erected.  Sick 
with  horror,  yet  fascinated  by  curiosity,  we  staggered  after 
them  mechanically,  scarce  knowing  where  we  were  going 
or  what  we  did,  and  feeling  a  sort  of  impression  that  all 
we  saw  was  a  dreadful  dream. 

Arrived  at  the  place,  we  saw  the  multitude  crowding 
round  a  certain  spot.      We  pressed  forward  and  obtained 


316  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

a  sight  of  what  they  were  doing.  A  large  wooden  beam 
or  post  lay  on  the  ground,  beside  the  other  parts  of  the 
framework  of  the  house,  and  close  to  the  end  of  it  was 
a  hole  about  seven  feet  deep  and  upwards  of  two  feet 
wide.  While  we  looked,  the  man  whom  we  had  before 
observed  with  his  hands  pinioned,  was  carried  into  the 
circle.  His  hands  were  now  free,  but  his  legs  were  tightly 
strapped  together.  The  post  of  the  house  was  then  placed 
in  the  hole,  and  the  man  put  in  beside  it.  His  head  was 
a  good  way  below  the  surface  of  the  hole,  and  his  arms 
were  clasped  round  the  post.  Earth  was  now  thrown  in 
until  all  was  covered  over  and  stamped  down ;  and  this, 
we  were  afterwards  told,  was  a  ceremony  usually  per- 
formed at  the  dedication  of  a  new  temple,  or  the  erection 
of  a  chief's  house ! 

"  Come,  come,"  cried  Jack,  on  beholding  this  horrible 
tragedy,  "  we  have  seen  enough,  enough,  far  more  than 
enough  !     Let  us  go." 

Jack's  face  looked  ghastly  pale  and  haggard  as  we 
hurried  back  to  rejoin  the  teacher,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
that  he  felt  terrible  anxiety  when  he  considered  the  num- 
ber and  ferocity  of  the  savages,  and  the  weakness  of  the 
few  arms  which  were  ready  indeed  to  essay,  but  im- 
potent to  effect,  Avatea's  deliverance  from  these  ruthless 
men. 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  317 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

AX  UNEXPECTED  DISCOVERY.  AXD  A  BOLD,  RECKLESS  DEFIANCE, 
WITH  ITS  CONSEQUEXCES  —  PLANS  OF  ESCAPE,  AXD  HEROIC  RE- 
SOLVES. 

WHEN  we  returned  to  the  shore,  and  related  to  our 
friend  what  had  passed,  he  was  greatly  distressed, 
and  groaned  in  spirit ;  but  we  had  not  sat  long  in  conver- 
sation, when  we  were  interrupted  by  the  arrival  of  Ta- 
raro  on  the  beach,  accompanied  by  a  number  of  follow- 
ers, bearing  baskets  of  vegetables  and  fruits  on  their  heads. 

We  advanced  to  meet  him,  and  he  expressed,  through 
our  interpreter,  much  pleasure  in  seeing  us. 

"  And  what  is  it  that  my  friends  wish  to  say  to  me  ?  " 
he  inquired. 

The  teacher  explained  that  we  came  to  beg  that  Ava- 
tea  might  be  spared. 

"  Tell  him  "  said  Jack,  "  that  I  consider  that  I  have  a 
right  to  ask  this  of  him,  having  not  only  saved  the  girl's 
life,  but  the  lives  of  his  own  people  also ;  and  say  that  I 
wish  her  to  be  allowed  to  follow  her  own  wishes,  and 
join  the  Christians." 

While  this  was  being  translated,  the  chief's  brow  low- 
ered, and  we  could  see  plainly  that  our  request  met  with 
no  favorable  reception.  He  replied  with  considerable 
energy,  and  at  some  length. 

'■  What  says  he  ?  "  inquired  Jack. 

"  I.  regret  to  say  that  he  will  not  listen  to  the  proposal. 


318  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

He  says  lie  has  pledged  bis  word  to  his  friend  that  the 
girl  shall  be  sent  to  him,  and  a  deputy  is  even  now  on 
this  island  awaiting  the  fulfilment  of  the  pledge." 

Jack  bit  his  lip  in  suppressed  anger.  "  Tell  Tararo," 
he  exclaimed  with  flashing  eye,  "  that  if  he  does  not 
grant  my  demand,  it  will  be  worse  for  him.  Say  I  have 
a  big  gun  on  board  my  schooner  that  will  blow  his  vil- 
lage into  the  sea,  if  he  does  not  give  up  the  girl." 

"  Nay,  my  friend,"  said  the  teacher,  gently,  "  I  will  not 
tell  him  that ;  we  must  '  overcome  evil  with  good.'  " 

"  What  does  my  friend  say  ?  "  inquired  the  chief,  who 
seemed  nettled  by  Jack's  looks  of  defiance. 

"  He  is  displeased,"  replied  the  teacher. 

Tararo  turned  away  with  a  smile  of  contempt,  and 
walked  towards  the  men  who  carried  the  baskets  of  veg- 
etables, and  who  had  now  emptied  the  whole  on  the 
beach  in  an  enormous  pile. 

"  What  are  they  doing  there  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"  I  think  that  they  are  laying  out  a  gift  which  they  in- 
tend to  present  to  some  one,"  said  the  teacher. 

At  this  moment  a  couple  of  men  appeared  leading  a 
young  girl  between  them ;  and,  going  towards  the  heap 
of  fruits  and  vegetables,  placed  her  on  the  top  of  it.  We 
started  with  surprise  and  fear,  for  in  the  young  female 
before  us  we  recognized  the  Samoan  girl,  Avatea ! 

We  stood  rooted  to  the  earth  with  surprise  and  thick 
coming  fears. 

"  Oh  !  my  dear  young  friend,"  whispered  the  teacher, 
in  a  voice  of  deep  emotion,  while  he  seized  Jack  by  the 
arm,  "  she  is  to  be  made  a  sacrifice  even  now  ! " 

"  Is  she  ?  "  cried  Jack,  with  a  vehement  shout,  spurn- 
ing the  teacher  aside,  and  dashing  over  two  natives  who 
stood  in  his   way,   while  he  rushed  towards  the  heap, 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  319 

sprang  up  its  side,  and  seized  Avatea  by  the  arm.  In 
another  moment  he  dragged  her  down,  placed  her  back 
to  a  large  tree,  and,  wrenching  a  war-club  from  the  hand 
of  a  native  who  seemed  powerless  and  petrified  with  sur- 
prise, whirled  it  above  his  head,  and  yelled,  rather  than 
shouted,  while  his  face  blazed  with  fury,  "  Come  on,  the 
whole  nation  of  you,  an  ye  like  it,  and  do  your  worst ! " 

It  seemed  as  though  the  challenge  had  been  literally 
accepted ;  for  every  savage  on  the  ground  ran  precipi- 
tately at  Jack  with  club  and  spear,  and,  doubtless,  would 
speedily  have  poured  out  his  brave  blood  on  the  sod,  had 
not  the  teacher  rushed  in  between  them,  and,  raising  his 
voice  to  its  utmost,  cried, — 

""  Stay  your  hands,  warriors !  It  is  not  your  part  to 
judge  in  this  matter.  It  is  for  Tararo,  the  chief,  to  say 
whether  or  not  the  young  man  shall  live  or  die." 

The  natives  were  arrested ;  and  I  know  not  whether 
it  was  the  gratifying  acknowledgment  of  his  superiority 
thus  made  by  the  teacher,  or  some  lingering  feeling  of 
gratitude  for  Jack's  former  aid  in  time  of  need,  that  in- 
fluenced Tararo,  but  he  stepped  forward,  and  waving  his 
hand,  said  to  his  people,  —  "  Desist.  The  young  man's  life 
is  mine."  Then,  turning  to  Jack,  he  said,  "  You  have 
forfeited  your  liberty  and  life  to  me.  Submit  yourself, 
for  we  are  more  numerous  than. the  sand  upon  the  shore. 
You  are  but  one  ;  why  should  you  die?" 

"  Villain  !  "  exclaimed  Jack,  passionately,  "  I  may  die, 
but,  assuredly,  I  shall  not  perish  alone.  I  will  not  sub- 
mit, until  you  promise  that  this  girl  shall  not  be  injured." 

"  You  are  very  bold,"  replied  the  chief,  haughtily,  "  but 
very  foolish.  Yet  I  will  say  that  Avatea  shall  not  be 
sent  away,  at  least  for  three  days." 

"You  had  better  accept  these  terms,"  whispered  the 


320  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

teacher,  entreatingly.  If  you  persist  in  this  mad  defi- 
ance, you  will  be  slain,  and  Avatea  will  be  lost.  Three 
days  are  worth  having." 

Jack  hesitated  a  moment,  then  lowered  his  club,  and 
throwing  it  moodily  to  the  ground,  crossed  his  arms  on 
his  breast,  and  hung  down  his  head  in  silence. 

Tararo  seemed  pleased  by  his  submission,  and  told  the 
teacher  to  say  that  he  did  not  forget  his  former  services, 
and,  therefore,  would  leave  him  free  as  to  his  person,  but 
that  the  schooner  would  be  detained  till  he  had  further 
considered  the  matter. 

While  the  teacher  translated  this,  he  approached  as 
near  to  where  Avatea  was  standing  as  possible,  without 
creating  suspicion,  and  whispered  to  her  a  few  words  in 
the  native  language.  Avatea,  who,  during  the  whole  of 
the  foregoing  scene,  had  stood  leaning  against  the  tree 
perfectly  passive,  and  seemingly  quite  uninterested  in  all 
that  was  going  on,  replied  by  a  single  rapid  glance  of 
her  dark  eye,  which  was  instantly  cast  down  again  on 
the  ground  at  her  feet. 

Tararo  now  advanced,  and  taking  the  girl  by  the  hand, 
led  her  unresistingly  away,  while  Jack,  Peterkin,  and  I 
returned  with  the  teacher  on  board  the  schooner. 

On  reaching  the  deck,  we  went  down  to  the  cabin, 
where  Jack  threw  himself,  in  a  state  of  great  dejection, 
on  a  couch ;  but  the  teacher  seated  himself  by  his  side, 
and,  laying  his  hand  upon  his  shoulder,  said, — 

"  Do  not  give  way  to  anger,  my  young  friend.  God 
has  given  us  three  days,  and  we  must  use  the  means 
that  are  in  our  power  to  free  this  poor  girl  from  slavery. 
We  must  not  sit  in  idle  disappointment,  we  must  act."  — 

"  Act ! "  cried  Jack,  raising  himself,  and  tossing  back 
his  hair  wildly  ;  "  it  is  mockery  to  talk  of  acting  when 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  321 

one  is  bound  hand  and  foot.  How  can  I  act  ?  I  cannot 
fight  a  whole  nation  of  savages  single-handed.  Yes,"  he 
said,  with  a  bitter  smile,  "  I  can  fight  them,  but  I  cannot 
conquer  them,  or  save  Avatea." 

"  Patience,  my  friend  ;  your  spirit  is  not  a  good  one 
just  now.  You  cannot  expect  that  blessing  which  alone 
can  insure  success,  unless  you  are  more  submissive.  I 
will  tell  you  my  plans  if  you  will  listen." 

"  Listen  !  "  cried  Jack,  eagerly,  "  of  course  I  will,  my 
good  fellow  ;  I  did  not  know  you  had  any  plans.  Out 
with  them.  I  only  hope  you  will  show  me  how  I  can  get 
the  girl  on  board  of  this  schooner,  and  I'd  up  anchor  and 
away  in  no  time.     But  proceed  with  your  plans." 

The  teacher  smiled  sadly  :  "  Ah  !  my  friend,  if  one 
fathom  of  your  anchor  chain  were  to  rattle,  as  you  drew 
it  in,  a  thousand  warriors  would  be  standing  on  your 
deck.  No,  no,  that  could  not  be  done.  Even  now,  your 
ship  would  be  taken  from  you  were  it  not  that  Tararo 
has  some  feeling  of  gratitude  toward  you.  But  I  know 
Tararo  well.  He  is  a  man  of  falsehood,  as  all  the  uncon- 
verted savages  are.  The  chief  to  whom  he  has  prom- 
ised this  girl  is  very  powerful,  and  Tararo  must  fulfil  his 
promise.  He  has  told  you  that  he  would  do  nothing  to- 
the  girl  for  three  days  ;  but  that  is  because  the  partj 
who  are  to  take  her  away  will  not  be  ready  to  start  for- 
three  days.  Still,  as  he  might  have  made  you  a  prisoner 
during  those  three  days,  I  say  that  God  has  given  them 
to  us." 

"  Well,  but  what  do  you  propose  to  do  ? "  said  Jack, 
impatiently. 

"  My  plan  involves  much  danger,  but  I  see  no  other, 
and  I  think  you  have  courage  to  brave  it.  It  is  this  : 
There  is  an  island  about  fifty  miles  to  the  south  of  this,. 
21 


322  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

the  natives  of  which  are  Christians,  and  have  been  so  for 
two  years  or  more,  and  the  principal  chief  is  Avatea's 
lover.  Once  there,  Avatea  would  be  safe.  Now,  I  sug- 
gest that  you  should  abandon  your  schooner.  Do  you 
think  that  you  can  make  so  great  a  sacrifice  ?  " 

"  Friend,"  replied  Jack,  "  when  I  make  up  my  mind 
to  go  through  with  a  thing  of  importance,  I  can  make 
any  sacrifice." 

The  teacher  smiled.  "  Well,  then,  the  savages  could 
not  conceive  it  possible  that,  for  the  sake  of  a  girl,  you 
would  voluntarily  lose  your  fine  vessel ;  therefore  as  long 
as  she  lies  here  they  think  they  have  you  all  safe  ;  so  I 
suggest  that  we  get  a  quantity  of  stores  conveyed  to  a 
sequestered  part  of  the  shore,  provide  a  small  canoe,  put 
Avatea  on  board,  and  you  three  would  paddle  to  the 
Christian  island." 

"  Bravo  ! "  cried  Peterkin,  springing  up  and  seizing 
the  teacher's  hand.  "  Missionary,  you're  a  regular  brick. 
I  didn't  think  you  had  so  much  in  you." 

"  As  for  me,"  continued  the  teacher,  "  I  will  remain 
on  board  till  they  discover  that  you  are  gone.  Then 
they  will  ask  me  where  you  are  gone  to,  and  I  will  re- 
fuse to  tell." 

"  And  what'll  be  the  result  of  that  ?  "  inquired  Jack. 

"  I  know  not.  Perhaps  they  will  kill  me  ;  but,"  he 
added,  looking  at  Jack  with  a  peculiar  smile,  "  I  too  am 
not  afraid  to  die  in  a  good  cause  !  " 

"  But  how  are  we  to  get  hold  of  Avatea  ?  "  inquired 
Jack. 

"  I  have  arranged  with  her  to  meet  us  at  a  particular 
spot,  to  which  I  will  guide  you  to-night.  "We  shall  then 
arrange  about  it.  She  will  easily  manage  to  elude  her 
keepers,  who  are  not  very  strict  in  watching  her,  think- 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  323 

ing  it  impossible  that  she  could  escape  from  the  island. 
Indeed,  I  am  sure  that  such  an  idea  will  never  enter 
their  heads.  But,  as  I  have  said,  you  run  great  danger. 
Fifty  miles  in  a  small  canoe,  on  the  open  sea,  is  a  great 
voyage  to  make.  You  may  miss  the  island,  too,  in  which 
case  there  is  no  other  in  that  direction  for  a  hundred 
miles  or  more ;  and  if  you  lose  your  way  and  fall  among 
other  heathens,  you  know  the  law  of  Feejee  —  a  cast- 
away who  gains  the  shore  is  doomed  to  die.  You  must 
count  the  cost,  my  young  friend." 

"  I  have  counted  it,"  replied  Jack.  "  If  Avatea  con- 
sents to  run  the  risk,  most  certainly  I  will ;  and  so  will 
my  comrades  also.  Besides,"  added  Jack,  looking  seri- 
ously into  the  teacher's  face,  "  your  Bible,  —  our  Bible, 
tells  of  One  who  delivers  those  who  call  on  him  in  the 
time  of  trouble  ;  who  holds  the  winds  in  his  fists  and  the 
waters  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand." 

We  now  set  about  active  preparations  for  the  intended 
voyage ;  collected  together  such  things  as  we  should 
require,  and  laid  out  on  the  deck  provisions  sufficient  to 
maintain  us  for  several  weeks,  purposing  to  load  the 
canoe  with  as  much  as  she  could  hold  consistently  with 
speed  and  safety.  These  we  covered  with  a  tarpaulin, 
intending  to  convey  them  to  the  canoe  only  a  few  hours 
before  starting.  When  night,  spread  her  sable  curtain 
over  the  scene,  we  prepared  to  land  ;  but,  first,  kneeling 
along  with  the  natives  and  the  teacher,  the  latter  im- 
plored a  blessing  on  our  enterprise.  Then  we  rowed 
quietly  to  the  shore  and  followed  our  sable  guide,  who 
led  us  by  a  long  detour,  in  order  to  avoid  the  village,  to 
the  place  of  rendezvous.  We  had  not  stood  more  than 
five  minutes  under  the  gloomy  shade  of  the  thick  foliage 
when  a  dark  figure  glided  noiselessly  up  to  us. 


324  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

"  Ah !  here  you  are,"  said  Jack,  as  Avatea  approached. 
"  Now,  then,  tell  her  what  we've  come  about,  and  don't 
waste  time." 

"  I  understan'  leetl  English,"  said  Avatea,  in  a  low 
voice. 

"  Why,  where  did  yoik  pick  up  English  ?  "  exclaimed 
Jack,  in  amazement ;  "  you  were  dumb  as  a  stone  when  I 
saw  you  last." 

"  She  has  learned  all  she  knows  of  it  from  me,"  said 
the  teacher,  "  since  she  came  to  the  island." 

We  now  gave  Avatea  a  full  explanation  of  our  plans, 
entering  into  all  the  details,  and  concealing  none  of  the 
danger,  so  that  she  might  be  fully  aware  of  the  risk  she 
ran.  As  we  had  anticipated,  she  was  too  glad  of  the 
opportunity  thus  afforded  her  to  escape  from  her  perse- 
cutors to  think  of  the  danger  or  risk. 

"  Then  you're  willing  to  go  with  us,  are  you  ?  "  said 
Jack. 

"  Yis,  I  willing  to  go." 

"  And  you're  not  afraid  to  trust  yourself  out  on  the 
deep  sea  so  far  ?  " 

"  No,  I  not  'fraid  to  go.     Safe  with  Christian." 

After  some  further  consultation,  the.  teacher  suggested 
that  it  was  time  to  return,  so  we  bade  Avatea  good 
night,  and  having  appointed  to  meet  at  the  cliff  where 
the  canoe  lay,  on  the  following  night,  just  after  dark,  we 
hastened  away  —  we  to  row  on  board  the  schooner  with 
muffled  oars  —  Avatea  to  glide  back  to  her  prison-hut 
among  the  Mango  savages. 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  325 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 

THE  FLIGHT  —  THE  PURSUIT— DESPAIR  AND  ITS  RESULTS— THE 
LION  BEARDED  IN  HIS  DEN  AGAIN  — AWFUL  DANGER  THREAT- 
ENED   AND    WONDERFULLY  AVERTED  —  A  TERRIFIC    STORM. 

AS  the  time  for  our  meditated  flight  drew  near,  we 
became  naturally  very  fearful  lest  our  purpose 
should  be  discovered,  and  we  spent  the  whole  of  the  fol- 
lowing day  in  a  state  of  nervous  anxiety.  We  resolved 
to  go  ashore  and  ramble  about  the  village,  as  if  to  ob- 
serve the  habits  and  dwellings  of  the  people,  as  we 
thought  that  an  air  of  affected  indifference  to  the  events 
of  the  previous  day  would  be  more  likely  than  any  other 
course  of  conduct  to  avert  suspicion  as  to  our  intentions. 
While  we  were  thus  occupied,  the  teacher  remained  on 
board  with  the  Christian  natives,  whose  powerful  voices 
reached  us  ever  and  anon  as  they  engaged  in  singing 
hymns  or  in  prayer. 

At  last  the  long  and  tedious  day  came  to  a  close,  the 
sun  sank  into  the  sea,  and  the  short-lived  twilight  of  those 
regions,  to  which  I  have  already  referred,  ended  abruptly 
in  a  dark  night.  Hastily  throwing  a  few  blankets  into 
our  little  boat,  we  stepped  into  it,  and  whispering  fare- 
well to  the  natives  in  the  schooner,  rowed  gently  over  the 
lagoon,  taking  care  to  keep  as  near  to  the  beach  as  possi- 
ble. We  rowed  in  the  utmost  silence  and  with  muffled 
oars,  so  that  had  any  one  observed  us  at  the  distance 
of  a  few  yards,  he    might   have  almost  taken  us  for  a 


326  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

phantom-boat  or  a  shadow  on  the  dark  water.  Not  a 
breath  of  air  was  stirring ;  but  fortunately  the  gentle  rip- 
ple of  the  sea  upon  the  shore,  mingled  with  the  soft  roar 
of  the  breaker  on  the  distant  reef,  effectually  drowned 
the  slight  plash  that  we  unavoidably  made  in  the  water 
by  the  dipping  of  our  oars. 

Quarter  of  an  hour  sufficed  to  bring  us  to  the  over- 
hanging cliff  under  whose  black  shadow  our  little  canoe 
lay,  with  her  bow  in  the  water  ready  to  be  launched,  and 
most  of  her  cargo  already  stowed  away.  As  the  keel  of 
our  little  boat  grated  on  the  sand,  a  hand  was  laid  upon 
the  bow,  and  a  dim  form  was  seen. 

"  Ha  ! "  said  Peterkin  in  a  whisper,  as  he  stepped  upon 
the  beach,  "  is  that  you,  Avatea  ?  " 

"  Yis,  it  am  me,"  was  the  reply. 

"  All  right !  Now,  then,  gently.  Help  me  to  shove 
off  the  canoe,"  whispered  Jack  to  the  teacher;  "and 
Peterkin,  do  you  shove  these  blankets  aboard,  we  may 
want  them  before  long.  Avatea,  step  into  the  middle  ;  — 
that's  right." 

"  Is  all  ready  ?  "  whispered  the  teacher. 

"  Not  cpjite,"  replied  Peterkin.  "  Here,  Ralph,  lay 
hold  o'  this  pair  of  oars,  and  stow  them  away  if  you  can. 
I  don't  like  paddles.  After  we're  safe  away  I'll  try  to  rig 
up  rollicks  for  them." 

"  Now,  then,  in  with  you  and  shove  off." 

One  more  earnest  squeeze  of  the  kind  teacher's  hand, 
and,  with  his  whispered  blessing  yet  sounding  in  our  ears, 
we  shot  like  an  arrow  from  the  shore,  sped  over  the  still 
waters  of  the  lagoon,  and  paddled  as  swiftly  as  strong 
arms  and  willing  hearts  could  urge  us  over  the  long  swell 
of  the  open  sea. 

All  that  night  and  the  whole  of  the  following  day  we 


THE   COEAL  ISLAND.  327 

plied  our  paddles  in  almost  total  silence  and  without 
halt,  save  twice  to  recruit  our  failing  energies  with  a 
mouthful  of  food  and  a  draught  of  water.  Jack  had 
taken  the  bearing  of  the  island  just  after  starting,  and 
laying  a  small  pocket-compass  before  him,  kept  the  head 
of  the  canoe  due  south,  for  our  chance  of  hitting  the 
island  depended  very  much  on  the  faithfulness  of  our 
steersman  in  keeping  our  tiny  bark  exactly  and  con- 
stantly on  its  proper  course.  Peterkin  and  I  paddled 
in  the  bow,  and  Avatea  worked  untiringly  in  the  middle. 

As  the  sun's  lower  limb  dipped  on  the  gilded  edge  of 
the  sea  Jack  ceased  working,  threw  down  his  paddle. 
and  called  a  halt. 

ft  There,"  he  cried,  heaving  a  deep,  long-drawn  sigh. 
"  we've  put  a  considerable  breadth  of  water  between  us 
and  these  black  rascals,  so  now  we'll  have  a  hearty  sup- 
per and  a  sound  sleep." 

"  Hear,  hear,"  cried  Peterkin.  "  Nobly  spoken,  Jack. 
Hand  me  a  drop  of  water,  Ralph.  Why,  girl,  what's 
wrong  with  you?  You  look  just  like  a  black  owl  blink- 
ing in  the  sunshine." 

Avatea  smiled.  "  I  sleepy,"  she  said ;  and  as  if  to 
prove  the  truth  of  this,  she  laid  her  head  on  the  edge  of 
the  canoe  and  fell  fast  asleep. 

"  That's  uncommon  sharp  practice,"  said  Peterkin, 
with  a  broad  grin.  "  Don't  you  think  we  should  awake 
her  to  make  her  eat  something  first?  or,  perhaps,"  he 
added,  with  a  grave,  meditative  look,  "  perhaps  we 
might  put  some  food  in  her  mouth,  which  is  so  elegantly 
open  at  the  present  moment,  and  see  if  she'd  swallow  it 
while  asleep.  If  so,  Ralph,  you  might  come  round  to  the- 
front  here  and  feed  her  quietly,  while  Jack  and  I  are 
tucking  into  the  victuals.  It  would  be  a  monstrous  econ- 
omy of  time." 


328  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

1  could  not  help  smiling  at  Peterkin's  idea,  which, 
indeed,  when  I  pondered  it,  seemed  remarkably  good 
in  theory ;  nevertheless  I  declined  to  put  it  in  practice, 
being  fearful  of  the  result  should  the  victual  chance  to 
go  down  the  wrong  throat.  But,  on  suggesting  this  to 
Peterkin,  he  exclaimed,  — 

"  Down  the  wrong  throat,  man  !  why,  a  fellow  with 
half  an  eye  might  see  that  if  it  went  down  Avatea's 
throat  it  could  not  go  down  the  wrong  throat !  —  un- 
less, indeed,  you  have  all  of  a  sudden  become  inordi- 
nately selfish,  and  think  that  all  the  throats  in  the  world 
are  wrong  ones  except  your  own.  However,  don't  talk  so 
much,  and  hand  me  the  pork  before  Jack  finishes  it. 
I  feel  myself  entitled  to  at  least  one  minute  morsel." 

"  Peterkin,  you're  a  villain.  A  paltry  little  villain," 
said  Jack,  quietly,  as  he  tossed  the  hind  legs  (including 
the  tail)  of  a  cold  roast  pig  to  his  comrade  ;  "and  I  must 
again  express  my  regret  that  unavoidable  circumstances 
have  thrust  your  society  upon  me,  and  that  necessity  has 
compelled  me  to  cultivate  your  acquaintance.  Were  it 
not  that  you  are  incapable  of  walking  upon  the  water,  I 
would  order  you,  sir,  out  of  the  canoe." 

"  There !  you've  wakened  Avatea  with  your  long 
tongue,"  retorted  Peterkin,  with  a  frown,  as  the  girl  gave 
vent  to  a  deep  sigh.  "  No,"  he  continued,  "  it  was  only 
a  snore.  Perchance  she  dreameth  of  her  black  Apollo. 
I  say,  Ralph,  do  leave  just  one  little  slice  of  that  yam. 
Between  you  and  Jack  I  run  a  chance  of  being  put  on 
short  allowance,  if  not  —  yei  —  a  —  a  —  ow  !  " 

Peterkin's  concluding  remark  was  a  yawn  of  so  great 
energy  that  Jack  recommended  him  to  postpone  the  con- 
clusion of  his  meal  till  next  morning,  —  a  piece  of  advice 
which  he   followed  so   quickly,   that  I  was  forcibly  re- 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  329 

minded  of  his  remark,  a  few  minutes  before,  in  regard  to 
the  sharp  practice  of  Avatea. 

My  readers  will  have  observed,  probably,  by  this  time, 
that  I  am  much  given  to  meditation ;  they  will  not, 
therefore,  be  surprised  to  learn  that  I  fell  into  a  deep 
re  very  on  the  subject  of  sleep,  which  was  continued 
without  intermission  into  the  night,  and  prolonged  with- 
out interruption  into  the  following  morning.  But  I  can- 
not feel  assured  that  I  actually  slept  during  that  time, 
although  I  am  tolerably  certain  that  I  was  not  awake. 

Thus  we  lay  like  a  shadow  on  the  still  bosom  of  the 
ocean,  while  the  night  closed  in,  and  all  around  was  calm, 
dark,  and  silent. 

A  thrilling  cry  of  alarm  from  Peterkin  startled  us  in 
the  morning,  just  as  the  gray  dawn  began  to  glimmer  in 
the  east. 

"  What's  wrong  ?  "  cried  Jack,  starting  up. 

Peterkin  replied  by  pointing  with  a  look  of  anxious 
dread  towards  the  horizon ;  and  a  glance  sufficed  to  show 
us  that  one  of  the  largest  sized  war-canoes  was  approach- 
ing us ! 

With  a  groan  of  mingled  despair  and  anger  Jack  seized 
his  paddle,  glanced  at  the  compass,  and,  in  a  suppressed 
voice,  commanded  us  to  "  give  way."  But  we  did  not 
require  to  be  urged.  Already  our  four  paddles  were 
glancing  in  the  water,  and  the  canoe  bounded  over  the 
glassy  sea  like  a  dolphin,  while  a  shout  from  our  pursuers 
told  that  they  had  observed  our  motions. 

"  I  see  something  like  land  ahead,"  said  Jack,  in  a 
hopeful  tone.  "  It  seems  impossible  that  we  could  have 
made  the  island  yet ;  still,  if  it  is  so,  we  may  reach  it  be- 
fore these  fellows  can  catch  us,  for  our  canoe  is  light  and 
our  muscles  are  fresh." 


330  THE   CORAL  ISLAND. 

No  one  replied ;  for,  to  say  truth,  we  felt  that,  in  a 
long  chase,  we  had  no  chance  whatever  with  a  canoe 
which  held  nearly  a  hundred  warriors.  Nevertheless, 
we  resolved  to  do  our  utmost  to  escape,  and  paddled 
with  a  degree  of  vigor  that  kept  us  well  in  advance  of 
our  pursuers.  The  war-canoe  was  so  far  behind  us  that 
it  seemed  but  a  little  speck  on  the  sea,  and  the  shouts,  to 
which  the  crew  occasionally  gave  vent,  came  faintly  to- 
wards us  on  the  morning  breeze.  We  therefore  hoped 
that  we  should  be  able  to  keep  in  advance  for  an  hour  or 
two.  when  we  might,  perhaps,  reach  the  land  ahead.  But 
this  hope  was  suddenly  crushed  by  the  supposed  land,  not 
long  after,  rising  up  into  the  sky,  thus  proving  itself  to 
be  a  fog-bank  ! 

A  bitter  feeling  of  disappointment  filled  each  heart, 
and  was  expressed  on  each  countenance,  as  we  beheld 
this  termination  to  our  hopes.  But  we  had  little  time  to 
think  of  regret.  Our  danger  was  too  great  and  imminent 
to  permit  of  a  moment's  relaxation  from  our  exertions. 
No  hope  now  animated  our  bosoms;  but  a  feeling  of 
despair,  strange  to  say,  lent  us  power  to  work,  and  nerved 
our  arms  with  such  energy,  that  it  was  several  hours  ere 
the  savages  overtook  us.  "When  we  saw  that  there  was 
indeed  no  chance  of  escape,  and  that  paddling  any  longer 
would  only  serve  to  exhaust  our  strength,  without  doing 
any  good,  we  turned  the  side  of  our  canoe  towards  the 
approaching  enemy,  and  laid  down  our  paddles. 

Silently,  and  with  a  look  of  bitter  determination  on  his 
face,  Jack  lifted  one  of  the  light  boat-oars  that  we  had 
brought  with  us,  and,  resting  it  on  his  shoulder,  stood  up 
in  an  attitude  of  bold  defiance.  Peterkin  took  the  other 
oar  and  also  stood  up,  but  there  was  no  anger  visible  on 
his  countenance.  When  not  sparkling  with  fun,  it  usually 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  331 

wore  a  mild,  sad  expression,  which  was  deepened  on  the 
present  occasion,  as  he  glanced  at  Avatea,  who  sat  with 
her  face  resting  in  her  hands  upon  her  knees.  Without 
knowing  very  well  what  I  intended  to  do,  I  also  arose 
and  grasped  my  paddle  with  both  hands. 

On  came  the  large  canoe  like  a  war-horse  of  the  deep, 
with  the  foam  curling  from  its  sharp  bow,  and  the  spear- 
heads of  the  savages  glancing  in  the  beams  of  the  rising 
sun.  Perfect  silence  was  maintained  on  both  sides,  and 
we  could  hear  the  hissing  water,  and  see  the  frowning 
eyes  of  the  warriors,  as  they  came  rushing  on.  "When 
about  twenty  yards  distant,  five  or  six  of  the  savages  in 
the  bow  rose,  and,  laying  aside  their  paddles,  took  up 
their  spears.  Jack  and  Peterkin  raised  their  oars,  while, 
with  a  feeling  of  madness  whirling  in  my  brain,  I  grasped 
my  paddle  and  prepared  for  the  onset.  But,  before  any 
of  us  could  strike  a  blow,  the  sharp  prow  of  the  war- 
canoe  struck  us  like  a  thunderbolt  on  the  side,  and  hurled 
us  into  the  sea ! 

What  occurred  after  this  I  cannot  tell,  for  I  was  nearly 
drowned;  but  when  I  recovered  from  the  state  of  in- 
sensibility into  which  I  had  been  thrown,  I  found  myself 
stretched  on  my  back,  bound  hand  and  foot  between  Jack 
and  Peterkin,  in  the  bottom  of  the  large  canoe. 

In  this  condition  we  lay  the  whole  day,  during  which 
time  the  savages  only  rested  one  hour.  When  night 
came,  they  rested  again  for  another  hour,  and  appeared 
to  sleep  just  as  they  sat.  But  we  were  neither  unbound 
nor  allowed  to  speak  to  each  other  during  the  voyage, 
nor  was  a  morsel  of  food  or  a  draught  of  water  given  to 
us.  For  food,  however,  we  cared  little ;  but  we  would 
have  given  much  for  a  drop  of  water  to  cool  our  parched 
lips,  and  we  would  have  been  glad,  too,  had  they  loosened 


332  THE   COEAL  ISLAND. 

the  cords  that  bound  us,  for  they  were  tightly  fastened 
and  occasioned  us  much  pain.  The  air,  also,  was  un- 
usually hot,  so  much  so  that  I  felt  convinced  that  a  storm 
was  brewing.  This  also  added  to  our  sufferings.  How- 
ever, these  were  at  length  relieved  by  our  arrival  at  the 
island  from  which  we  had  fled. 

While  we  were  being  led  ashore,  we  caught  a  glimpse 
of  Avatea,  who  was  seated  in  the  hinder  part  of  the 
canoe.  She  was  not  fettered  in  any  way.  Our  captors 
now  drove  us  before  them  towards  the  hut  of  Tararo,  at 
which  we  speedily  arrived,  and  found  the  chief  seated 
with  an  expression  on  his  face  that  boded  us  no  good. 
Our  friend  the  teacher  stood  beside  him,  with  a  look  of 
anxiety  on  his  mild  features. 

"  How  comes  it,"  said  Tararo,  turning  to  the  teacher, 
"  that  these  youths  have  abused  our  hospitality  ?  " 

"  Tell  him,"  replied  Jack,  "  that  we  have  not  abused 
his  hospitality,  for  his  hospitality  has  not  been  extended 
to  us.  I  came  to  the  island  to  deliver  Avatea,  and  my 
only  regret  is  that  I  have  failed  to  do  so.  If  I  get  an- 
other chance,  I  will  try  to  save  her  yet." 

The  teacher  shook  his  head.  "  Nay,  my  young  friend, 
I  had  better  not  tell  him  that.  It  will  only  incense 
him." 

"  I  care  not,"  replied  Jack.  "  If  you  don't  tell  him 
that,  you'll  tell  him  nothing,  for  I  won't  say  anything 
softer." 

On  hearing  Jack's  speech,  Tararo  frowned  and  his  eye 
flashed  with  anger. 

"  Go,"  he  said,  "  presumptuous  boy.  My  debt  to  you 
is  cancelled.     You  and  your  companions  shall  die." 

As  he  spoke  he  rose  and  signed  to  several  of  his 
attendants,  who  seized  Jack,  and  Peterkin,  and  me,  vio- 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  333 

lently  by  the  collars,  and,  dragging  us  from  the  hut  of 
the  chief,  led  us  through  the  wood  to  the  outskirts  of  the 
village.  Here  they  thrust  us  into  a  species  of  natural 
cave  in  a  cliff,  and,  having  barricaded  the  entrance,  left 
us  in  total   darkness. 

After  feeling  about  for  some  time — for  our  legs  were 
unshackled,  although  our  wrists  were  still  bound  with 
thongs  —  we  found  a  low  ledge  of  rock  running  along 
one  side  of  the  cavern.  On  this  we  seated  ourselves, 
and  for  a  long  time  maintained  unbroken  silence. 

At  last  I  could  restrain  my  feelings  no  longer.  "  Alas ! 
dear  Jack  and  Peterkin,"  said  I,  "  what  is  to  become  of 
us  ?     I  fear  that  we  are  doomed  to  die." 

"  I  know  not,"  replied  Jack,  in  a  tremulous  voice,  "  I 
know  not ;  Ralph,  I  regret  deeply  the  hastiness  of  my 
violent  temper,  which,  I  must  confess,  has  been  the  chief 
cause  of  our  being  brought  to  this  sad  condition.  Per- 
haps the  teacher  may  do  something  for  us.  But  I  have 
little  hope." 

"Ah  !  no,"  said  Peterkin,  with  a  heavy  sigh  ;  "  I  am 
sure  he  can't  help  us.  Tararo  doesn't  care  more  for  him 
than  for  one  of  his  dogs." 

"  Truly,"  said  I,  "  there  seems  no  chance  of  deliverance, 
unless  the  Almighty  puts  forth  his  arm  to  save  us.  Yet 
I  must  say  that  I  have  great  hope,  my  comrades,  for  we 
have  come  to  this  dark  place  by  no  fault  of  ours  —  unless 
it  be  a  fault  to  try  to  succor  a  woman  in  distress." 

I  was  interrupted  in  my  remarks  by  a  noise  at  the 
entrance  to  the  cavern,  which  was  caused  by  the  removal 
of  the  barricade.  Immediately  after,  three  men  entered, 
and,  taking  us  by  the  collars  of  our  coats,  led  us  away 
through  the  forest.  As  we  advanced,  we  heard  much 
shouting  and  beating  of  native  drums  in  the  village,  and 


334  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

at  first  we  thought  that  our  guards  were  conducting  us  to 
the  hut  of  Tararo  again.  But  in  this  we  were  mistaken. 
The  beating  of  drums  gradually  increased,  and  soon  after 
we  observed  a  procession  of  the  natives  coming  towards 
us.  At  the  head  of  this  procession  we  were  placed,  and 
then  we  all  advanced  together  towards  the  temple  where 
human  victims  were  wont  to  be  sacrificed ! 

A  thrill  of  horror  ran  through  my  heart  as  I  recalled  to 
mind  the  awful  scenes  that  I  had  before  witnessed  at  that 
dreadful  spot.  But  deliverance  came  suddenly  from  a 
quarter  whence  we  little  expected  it.  During  the  whole 
of  that  day  there  had  been  an  unusual  degree  of  heat  in 
the  atmosphere,  and  the  sky  assumed  that  lurid  aspect 
which  portends  a  thunder-storm.  Just  as  we  were  ap- 
proaching the  horrid  temple,  a  growl  of  thunder  burst 
overhead  and  heavy  drops  of  rain  began  to  fall. 

Those  who  have  not  witnessed  gales  and  storms  in 
tropical  regions  can  form  but  a  faint  conception  of  the 
fearful  hurricane  that  burst  upon  the  island  of  Mango  at 
this  time.  Before  we  reached  the  temple,  the  storm  burst 
upon  us  with  a  deafening  roar,  and  the  natives,  who 
knew  too  well  the  devastation  that  was  to  follow,  fled 
right  and  left  through  the  woods  in  order  to  save  their 
property,  leaving  us  alone  in  the  midst  of  the  howling 
storm.  The  trees  around  us  bent  before  the  blast  like 
willows,  and  we  were  about  to  flee  in  order  to  seek  shel- 
ter, when  the  teacher  ran  toward  us  with  a  knife  in  his 
hand. 

"  Thank  the  Lord,"  he  said,  cutting  our  bonds,  "  I  am 
in  time  !     Now,  seek  the  shelter  of  the  nearest  rock." 

This  we  did  without  a  moment's  hesitation,  for  the 
whistling  wind  burst,  ever  and  anon,  like  thunderclaps 
among  the  trees,  and  tearing   them   from   their   roots, 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  335 

hurled  them  with  violence  to  the  ground.  Rain  cut 
across  the  land  in  sheets,  and  lightning  played  like  forked 
serpents  in  the  air;  while,  high  above  the  roar  of  the 
hissing  tempest,  the  thunder  crashed,  and  burst,  and 
rolled  in  awful  majesty. 

In  the  village  the  scene  was  absolutely  appalling. 
Roofs  were  blown  completely  off  the  houses  in  many 
cases ;  and  in  others,  the  houses  themselves  were  levelled 
with  the  ground.  In  the  midst  of  this,  the  natives  were 
darting  to  and  fro,  in  some  instances  saving  their  goods, 
but  in  many  others  seeking  to  save  themselves  from  the 
storm  of  destruction  that  whirled  around  them.  But, 
terrific  although  the  tempest  was  on  land,  it  was  still 
more  tremendous  on  the  mighty  ocean.  Billows  sprang, 
as  it  were,  from  the  great  deep,  and  while  their  crests 
were  absolutely  scattered  into  white  mist,  they  fell  upon 
the  beach  with  a  crash  that  seemed  to  shake  the  solid 
land.  But  they  did  not  end  there.  Each  successive 
wave  swept  higher  and  higher  on  the  beach,  until  the 
ocean  lashed  its  angry  waters  among  the  trees  and  bushes, 
and  at  length,  in  a  sheet  of  white  curdled  foam,  swept 
into  the  village  and  upset  and  carried  off,  or  dashed  into 
wreck,  whole  rows  of  the  native  dwellings  !  It  was  a 
sublime,  an  awful  scene,  calculated,  in  some  degree  at 
least,  to  impress  the  mind  of  beholders  with  the  might 
and  the  majesty  of  God. 

We  found  shelter  in  a  cave  that  night  and  all  the  next 
day,  during  which  time  the  storm  raged  in  fury ;  but  on 
the  night  following  it  abated  somewhat,  and  in  the  morn- 
ing wTe  went  to  the  village  to  seek  for  food,  being  so  fam- 
ished with  hunger  that  we  lost  all  feeling  of  danger,  and 
all  wish  to  escape  in  our  desire  to  satisfy  the  cravings  of 
nature.     But  no  sooner  had  we  obtained  food  than  we 


336  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

began  to  wish  that  we  had  rather  endeavored  to  make 
our  escape  into  the  mountains.  This  we  attempted  to  do 
soon  afterwards,  but  the  natives  were  now  able  to  look 
after  us,  and  on  our  showing  a  disposition  to  avoid  ob- 
servation and  make  towards  the  mountains,  we  were 
seized  by  three  warriors,  who  once  more  bound  our 
wrists  and  thrust  us  into  our  former  prison. 

It  is  true  Jack  made  a  vigorous  resistance,  and 
knocked  down  the  first  savage  who  seized  him,  with  a 
well-directed  blow  of  his  fist,  but  he  was  speedily  over- 
powered by  others.  Thus  we  were  again  prisoners,  with 
the  prospect  of  torture  and  a  violent  death  before  us. 


THE  COEAL  ISLAND.  337 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

IMPRISONMENT  —  SINKING    HOPES  —  UNEXPECTED    FREEDOM    TO 
MORE    THAN    ONE,    AND    IN    MORE    SENSES    THAN    ONE. 

T^OE,  a  long  long  month  we  remained  in  our  dark  and 
-L  dreary  prison,  during  which  dismal  time  we  did  not 
see  the  face  of  a  human  being,  except  that  of  the  silent 
savage  who  brought  us  our  daily  food. 

There  have  been  one  or  two  seasons  in  my  life  during 
which  I  have  felt  as  if  the  darkness  of  sorrow  and  deso- 
lation that  crushed  my  inmost  heart  could  never  pass 
away,  until  death  should  make  me  cease  to  feel.  The 
present. was  such  a  season. 

During  the  first  part  of  our  confinement  we  felt  a  cold 
chill  at  our  hearts  every  time  we  heard  a  footfall  near 
the  cave  —  dreading  lest  it  should  prove  to  be  that  of  our 
executioner.  But  as  time  dragged  heavily  on,  we  ceased 
to  feel  this  alarm,  and  began  to  experience  such  a  deep, 
irrepressible  longing  for  freedom,  that  we  chafed  and 
fretted  in  our  confinement  like  tigers.  Then  a  feeling 
of  despair  came  over  us,  and  we  actually  longed  for  the 
time  when  the  savages  would  take  us  forth  to  die !  But 
these  changes  took  place  very  gradually,  and  were  min- 
gled sometimes  with  brighter  thoughts;  for  there  were 
times  when  we  sat  in  that  dark  cavern  on  our  ledo-e  of 
rock,  and  conversed  almost  pleasantly  about  the  past, 
until  we  well-nigh  forgot  the  dreary  present.  But  we 
seldom  ventured  to  touch  upon  the  future. 
22 


338  THE  CORAL  ISLAND, 

A  few  decayed  leaves  and  boughs  formed  our  bed ; 
and  a  scanty  supply  of  yams  and  taro,  brought  to  us 
once  a  day,  constituted  our  food. 

"  Well,  Ralph,  how  have  you  slept  ?  "  said  Jack,  in  a 
listless  tone,  on  rising  one  morning  from  his  humble 
couch.  "  Were  you  much  disturbed  by  the  wind  last 
night?" 

"  No,"  said  I ;  "  I  dreamed  of  home  all  night,  and  I 
thought  that  my  mother  smiled  upon  me,  and  beckoned 
me  to  go  to  her ;  but  I  could  not,  for  I  was  chained." 

"  And  I  dreamed,  too,"  said  Peterkin  ;  "  but  it  was  of 
our  happy  home  on  the  Coral  Island.  I  thought  we 
were  swimming  in  the  Water  Garden  ;  then  the  savages 
gave  a  yell,  and  we  were  immediately  in  the  cave  at 
Spouting  Cliff,  which  somehow  or  other  changed  into  this 
gloomy  cavern  ;  and  I  awoke  to  find  it  true." 

Peterkin's  tone  was  so  much  altered  by  the  depressing 
influence  of  his  long  imprisonment,  that,  had  I  not  known 
it  was  he  who  spoke,  I  should  scarcely  have  recognized 
it,  so  sad  was  it,  and  so  unlike  to  the  merry,  cheerful 
voice  we  had  been  accustomed  to  hear.  I  pondered  this 
much,  and  thought  of  the  terrible  decline  of  happiness 
that  may  come  on  human  beings  in  so  short  a  time ;  how 
bright  the  sunshine  in  the  sky  at  one  time,  and,  in  a  short 
space,  how  dark  the  overshadowing  cloud !  I  had  no 
doubt  that  the  Bible  would  have  given  me  much  light  and 
comfort  on  this  subject,  if  I  had  possessed  one ;  and  I 
once  more  had  occasion  to  regret  deeply  having  neglected 
to  store  my  memory  with  its  consoling  truths. 

While  I  meditated  thus,  Peterkin  again  broke  the  si- 
lence of  the  cave,  by  saying,  in  a  melancholy  tone,  "  Oh, 
I  wonder  if  we  shall  ever  see  our  dear  island  more." 

His  voice  trembled,  and,  covering  his  face  with  both 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  339 

hands,  lie  bent  down  his  head  and  wept.  It  was  an  unu- 
sual sight  for  me  to  see  our  once  joyous  companion  in 
tears,  and  I  felt  a  burning  desire  to  comfort  him ;  but, 
alas  !  what  could  I  say  ?  I  could  hold  out  no  hope  ;  and 
although  I  essayed  twice  to  speak,  the  words  refused  to 
pass  my  lips.  While  I  hesitated,  Jack  sat  down  beside 
him,  and  whispered  a  few  words  in  his  ear,  while  Peter- 
kin  threw  himself  on  his  friend's  breast,  and  rested  his 
head  on  his  shoulder. 

Thus  we  sat  for  some  time  in  deep  silence^  Soon  af- 
ter, we  heard  footsteps  at  the  entrance  of  the  cave,  and 
immediately  our  jailer  entered.  We  were  so  much  ac- 
customed to  his  regular  visits,  however,  that  we  paid  lit- 
tle attention  to  him,  expecting  that  he  would  set  down 
our  meagre  fare,  as  usual,  and  depart.  But,  to  our  sur- 
prise, instead  of- doing  so,  he  advanced  towards  us  with  a 
knife  in  his  hand,  and,  going  up  to  Jack,  he  cut  the 
thongs  that  bound  his  wrists,  then  he  did  the  same  to 
Peterkin  and  me !  For  fully  five  minutes  we  stood  in 
speechless  amazement,  with  our  freed  hands  hanging 
idly  by  our  sides.  The  first  thought  that  rushed  into  my 
mind  was,  that  the  time  had,  come  to  put  us  to  death  ; 
and,  although,  as  I  have  said  before,  we  actually  wished 
for  death  in  the  strength  of  our  despair,  now  that  we 
thought  it  drew  really  near  I  felt  all  the  natural  love  of 
life  revive  in  my  heart,  mingled  with  a  chill  of  horror  at 
the  suddenness  of  our  call. 

But  I  was  mistaken.  After  cutting  our  bonds,  the 
savage  pointed  to  the  cave's  mouth,  and  we  marched, 
almost  mechanically,  into  the  open  air.  Here,  to  our  sur- 
prise, we  found  the  teacher  standing  under  a  tree,  with 
his  hands  clasped  before  him,  and  the  tears  trickling 
down  his  dark  cheeks.     On  seeing  Jack,  who  came  out 


340  THE  CORAL  ISLAND. 

first,  he  sprang  towards  him,  and  clasping  him  in  his 
arms,  exclaimed,  — 

"  Oh  !  my  dear  young  friend,  through  the  great  good- 
ness of  God  you  are  free  ! " 

"  Free  !  "  cried  Jack. 

"  Ay,  free,"  repeated  the  teacher,  shaking  us  warmly 
by  the  hands  again  and  again  ;  "  free  to  go  and  come  as 
you  will.  The  Lord  has  unloosed  the  bands  of  the  cap- 
tive and  set  the  prisoners  free.  A  missionary  has  been 
sent  to  us,  and  Tararo  has  embraced  the  Christian  relig- 
ion !  The  people  are  even  now  burning  their  gods  of 
wood  !  Come,  my  dear  friends,  and  see  the  glorious 
sight." 

We  could  scarcely  credit  our  senses.  So  long  had  we 
been  accustomed  in  our  cavern  to  dream  of  deliverance, 
that  we  imagined  for  a  moment  this  must  surely  be 
nothing  more  than  another  vivid  dream.  Our  eyes  and 
minds  were  dazzled,  too,  by  the  brilliant  sunshine,  which 
almost  blinded  us  after  our  long  confinement  to  the  gloom 
of  our  prison,  so  that  we  felt  giddy  with  the  variety  of 
conflicting  enTotions  that  filled  our  throbbing  bosoms  ;  but 
as  we  followed  the  footsteps  of  our  sable  friend,  and 
beheld  the  bright  foliage  of  the  trees,  and  heard  the  cries 
of  the  paroquets,  and  smelt  the  rich  perfume  of  the  flow- 
ering shrubs,  the  truth,  that  we  were  really  delivered 
from  prison  and  from  death,  rushed  with  overwhelming 
power  into  our  souls,  and,  with  one  accord,  while  tears 
sprang  to  our  eyes,  we  uttered  a  loud,  long  cheer  of  joy. 

It  was  replied  to  by  a  shout  from  a  number  of  the 
natives  who  chanced  to  be  near.  Running  towards  us, 
they  shook  us  by  the  hand  with  every  demonstration  of 
kindly  feeling.  They  then  fell  behind,  and  forming  a 
sort  of  procession,  conducted  us  to  the  dwelling  of  Tararo. 


THE  COEAL  ISLAND.  341 

The  scene  that  met  our  eyes  here  was  one  that  I  shall 
never  forget.  On  a  rude  bench  in  front  of  his  house  sat 
the  chief.  A  native  stood  on  his  left  hand,  who,  from  his 
dress,  seemed  to  be  a  teacher.  On  his  right  stood  an 
English  gentleman,  who,  I  at  once  and  rightly  concluded, 
was  a  missionary.  He  was  tall,  thin,  and  apparently 
past  forty,  with  a  bald  forehead,  and  thin  gray  hair.  The 
expression  of  his  countenance  was  the  most  winning  I 
ever  saw,  and  his  clear  gray  eye  beamed  with  a  look  that 
was  frank,  fearless,  loving,  and  truthful.  In  front  of  the 
chief  was  an  open  space,  in  the  centre  of  which  lay  a  pile 
of  wooden  idols,  ready  to  be  set  on  fire  ;  and  around  these 
were  assembled  thousands  of  natives,  who  had  come  to 
join  in  or  to  witness  the  unusual  sight.  A  bright  smile 
overspread  the  missionary's  face  as  he  advanced  quickly 
to  meet  us,  and  he  shook  us  warmly  by  the  hands. 

"  I  am  overjoyed  to  meet  you,  my  dear  young  friends," 
he  said.  "  My  friend,  and  your  friend,  the  teacher,  has 
told  me  your  history ;  and  I  thank  our  Father  in  heaven, 
with  all  my  heart,  that  he  has  guided  me  to  this  island, 
and  made  me  the  instrument  of  saving  you." 

We  thanked  the  missionary  most  heartily,  and  asked 
him  in  some  surprise  how  he  had  succeeded  in  turning 
the  heart  of  Tararo  in  our  favor. 

"  I  will  tell  you  that  at  a  more  convenient  time,"  he 
answered,  "  meanwhile  we  must  not  forget  the  respect  due 
to  the  chief.     He  waits  to  receive  you." 

In  the  conversation  that  immediately  followed  between 
us  and  Tararo,  the  latter  said  that  the  light  of  the  gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ  had  been  sent  to  the  island,  and  that  to 
it  we  were  indebted  for  our  freedom.  Moreover,  he  told 
us  that  we  were  at  liberty  to  depart  in  our  schooner 
whenever  we  pleased,  and  that  we  should  be  supplied 
22  * 


342  THE  COKAL  ISLAND, 

with  as  much  provision  as  we  required.  He  concluded 
by  shaking  hands  with  us  warmly,  and  performing  the 
ceremony  of  rubbing  noses. 

This  was  indeed  good  news  to  us,  and  we  could  hardly 
find  words  to  express  our  gratitude  to  the  chief  and  to 
the  missionary. 

"  And  what  of  Avatea  ?  "  inquired  Jack. 

The  missionary  replied  by  pointing  to  a  group  of 
natives  in  the  midst  of  whom  the  girl  stood.  Beside  her 
was  a  tall,  strapping  fellow,  whose  noble  mien  and  air  of 
superiority  bespoke  him  a  chief  of  no  ordinary  kind. 

"  That  youth  is  her  lover.  He  came  this  very  morn- 
ing in  his  war-canoe  to  treat  with  Tararo  for  Avatea. 
He  is  to  be  married  in  a  few  days,  and  afterwards  returns 
to  his  island  home  with  his  bride  !  " 

"  That's  capital,"  said  Jack,  as  he  stepped  up  to  the 
savage  and  gave  him  a  hearty  shake  of  the  hand.  "  I 
wish  you  joy,  my  lad  ;  —  and  you  too,  Avatea." 

As  Jack  spoke,  Avatea's  lover  took  him  by  the  hand 
and  led  him  to  the  spot  where  Tararo  and  the  missionary 
stood,  surrounded  by  most  of  the  chief  men  of  the  tribe. 
The  girl  herself  followed,  and  stood  on  his  left  hand 
while  her  lover  stood  on  his  right,  and,  commanding 
silence,  made  the  following  speech,  which  was  translated 
by  the  missionary  :  — 

"  Young  friend,  you  have  seen  few  years,  but  your 
head  is  old.  Your  heart  also  is  large  and  very  brave.  I 
and  Avatea  are  your  debtors,  and  we  wish,  in  the  midst 
of  this  assembly,  to  acknowledge  our  debt,  and  to  say 
that  it  is  one  which  we  can  never  repay.  You  have 
risked  your  life  for  one  who  was  known  to  you  only  for 
a  few  days.  But  she  was  a  woman  in  distress,  and  that 
was  enough  to  secure  to  her  the  aid  of  a  Christian  man. 


THE   CORAL  ISLAND.  343 

We,  who  live  in  these  islands  of  the  sea,  know  that  the 
true  Christians  always  act  thus.  Their  religion  is  one  of 
love  and  kindness.  We  thank  God  that  so  many  Chris- 
tians have  been  sent  here,  —  we  hope  many  more  will 
come.  Remember  that  I  and  Avatea  will  think  of  you 
and  pray  for  you  and  your  brave  comrades  when  you  are 
far  away." 

To  this  kind  speech  Jack  returned  a  short  sailor-like 
reply,  in  which  he  insisted  that  he  had  only  done  for 
Avatea  what  he  would  have  done  for  any  woman  under 
the  sun.  But  Jack's  forte  did  not  lie  in  speech-making,. 
so  he  terminated  rather  abruptly  by  seizing  the  chief's 
hand  and  shaking  it  violently,  after  which  he  made  a* 
hasty  retreat. 

"  Now,  then,  Ralph  and  Peterkin,"  said  Jack,  as  we- 
mingled  with  the  crowd,  "  it  seems  to  me  that  the  object 
we  came  here  for  having  been  satisfactorily  accomplished^, 
we  have  nothing  more  to  do  but  get  ready  for  sea  as  fast 
as  we  can,  and  hurrah  for  dear  old  England  ! " 

"  That's  my  idea  precisely,"  said  Peterkin,  endeavor- 
ing to  wink,  but  he  had  wept  so  much  of  late,  poor  fel- 
low, that  he  found  it  difficult ;  "  however,  I'm  not  going, 
away  till  I  see  these  fellows  burn  their  gods." 

Peterkin  had  his  wish,  for,  in  a  few  minutes  after- 
wards, fire  was  put  to  the  pile,  the  roaring  flames  as- 
cended, and,  amid  the  acclamations  of  the  assembled 
thousands,  the  false  gods  of  Mango  were  reduced  to* 
ashes  ! 


344  THE  CORAL  ISLAND, 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

CONCLUSION. 

TO  part  is  the  lot  of  all  mankind.  The  world  is  a 
scene  of  constant  leave-taking,  and  the  hands  that 
grasp  in  cordial  greeting  to-day,  are  doomed  ere  long  to 
unite  for  the  last  time,  when  the  quivering  lips  pro- 
nounce the  word — "  Farewell."  It  is  a  sad  thought,  but 
should  we  on  that  account  exclude  it  from  our  minds  ? 
May  not  a  lesson  worth  learning  be  gathered  in  the  con- 
templation of  it  ?  May  it  not,  perchance,  teach  us  to  de- 
vote our  thoughts  more  frequently  and  attentively  to  that 
land  where  we  meet,  but  .part  no  more  ? 

How  many  do  we  part  from  in  this  world  with  a  light 
"  Good-bye,"  whom  we  never  see  again  !  Often  do  I 
think,  in  my  meditations  on  this  subject,  that  if  we  real- 
ized more  fully  the  shortness  of  the  fleeting  intercourse 
that  we  have  in  this  world  with  many  of  our  fellow-men, 
we  would  try  more  earnestly  to  do  them  good,  to  give 
them  a  friendly  smile,  as  it  were,  in  passing  (for  the  long- 
est intercourse  on  earth  is  little  more  than  a  passing  word 
and  glance),  and  show  that  we  have  sympathy  with  them 
in  the  short  quick  struggle  of  life,  by  our  kindly  words 
and  looks  and  actions. 

The  time  soon  drew  near  when  we  were  to  quit  the 
islands  of  the  South  Seas ;  and,  strange  though  it  may 
appear,  we  felt  deep  regret  at  parting  with  the  natives 
of  the  island  of  Mango ;  for  after  they  embraced  the 
Christian  faith,  they  sought,  by  showing  us  the  utmost 
kindness,  to  compensate  for  the  harsh  treatment  we  had 


THE  CORAL  ISLAND.  345 

experienced  at  their  hands  ;  and  we  felt  a  growing  affec- 
tion for  the  native  teachers  and  the  missionary,  and  es- 
pecially for  Avatea  and  her  husband. 

Before  leaving  we  had  many  long  and  interesting  con- 
versations with  the  missionary,  in  one  of  which  he  told 
us  that  he  had  been  making  for  the  island  of  Raratonga, 
when  his  native-built  sloop  was  blown  out  of  its  course, 
during  a  violent  gale,  and  driven  to  this  island.  At  first 
the  natives  refused  to  listen  to  what  he  had  to  say ;  but, 
after  a  week's  residence  among  them,  Tararo  came  to 
him,  and  said  that  he  wished  to  become  a  Christian,  and 
would  burn  his  idols.  He  proved  himself  to  be  sincere ; 
for,  as  wTe  have  seen,  he  persuaded  all  his  people  to  do 
likewise.  I  use  the  word  persuaded  advisedly ;  for,  like 
all  the  other  Feejee  chiefs,  Tararo  was  a  despot,  and 
might  have  commanded  obedience  to  his  wishes ;  but  he 
entered  so  readily  into  the  spirit  of  the  new  faith  that  he 
perceived  at  once  the  impropriety  of  using  constraint  in 
the  propagation  of  it.  He  set  the  example,  therefore ; 
and  that  example  wras  followed  by  almost  every  man  of 
the  tribe. 

During  the  short  time  that  we  remained  at  the  island, 
repairing  our  vessel  and  getting  her  ready  for  sea,  the 
natives  had  commenced  building  a  large  and  commodious 
church,  under  the  superintendence  of  the  missionary,  and 
several  rows  of  new  cottages  were  marked  out ;  so  that 
the  place  bid  fair  to  become,  in  a  few  months,  as  prosper- 
ous and  beautiful  as  the  Christian  village  at  the  other 
end  of  the  island. 

^  After  Avatea  was  married,  she  and  her  husband  were 
sent  away,  loaded  with  presents,  chiefly  of  an  edible  na- 
ture. One  of  the  native  teachers  went  with  them,  for  the 
purpose  of  visiting  still  more  distant  islands  of  the  sea,  and 
spreading,  if  possible,  the  light  of  the  glorious  gospel  there* 


346  THE  COEAL  ISLAND. 

As  the  missionary  intended  to  remain  for  several 
weeks  longer  in  order  to  encourage  and  confirm  his  new 
converts,  Jack  and  Peterkin  and  I  held  a  consultation  in 
the  cabin  of  our  schooner,  —  which  we  found  just  as  we 
had  left  her,  for  everything  that  had  been  taken  out  of 
her  was  restored.  We  now  resolved  to  delay  our  de- 
parture no  longer.  The  desire  to  see  our  beloved  native 
land  was  strong  upon  us,  and  we  could  not  wait. 

Three  natives  volunteered  to  go  with  us  to  Tahiti, 
where  we  thought  it  likely  that  we  should  be  able  to  pro- 
cure a  sufficient  crew  of  sailors  to  man  our  vessel ;  so 
we  accepted  their  offer  gladly. 

It  was  a  bright  clear  morning  when  we  hoisted  the 
snow-white  sails  of  the  pirate  schooner  and  left  the  shores 
of  Mango.  The  missionary,  and  thousands  of  the  natives, 
came  down  to  bid  us  God-speed,  and  to  see  us  sail  away. 
As  the  vessel  bent  before  a  light  fair  wind,  we  glided 
quickly  over  the  lagoon  under  a  cloud  of  canvas. 

Just  as  we  passed  through  the  channel  in  the  reef,  the 
natives  gave  us  a  loud  cheer;  and  as  the  missionary 
waved  his  hat  while  he  stood  on  a  coral  rock  with  his 
gray  hairs  floating  in  the  wind,  we  heard  the  single  word 
"  Farewell "  borne  faintly  over  the  sea. 

That  night,  as  we  sat  on  the  taffrail,  gazing  out  upon 
the  wide  sea,  and  up  into  the  starry  firmament,  a  thrill 
of  joy,  strangely  mixed  with  sadness,  passed  through 
our  hearts,  —  for  we  were  at  length  "  homeward  bound," 
and  were  gradually  leaving  far  behind  us  the  beautiful, 
bright,  green  coral  islands  of  the  Pacific  Ocean. 


THE    END. 


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